Experimental device for obtaining calibration factor for the total count technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonçalves, Eduardo R.; Braz, Delson; Brandão, Luís Eduardo B.

2017-01-01

Nuclear technologies have widely used on industry plants in order to help to solve troubles processes/design or just obtain information of them. The Total Count technique for flow measurement has as main advantages: being an absolute technique, because it is independent of additional devices readings unless the directly used for recording the radioactive cloud, requiring only a single detector to provide the final result; the independence of the internal volume of the transport duct, can be applied in the presence or absence of obstructions; no restriction as to the nature of the product or material to be conveyed; it is a noninvasive technique which allows real-time diagnostics. To use Total Count Technique, knowledge of a geometric calibration factor is required. Called Factor F, it is obtained in the laboratory using an experimental apparatus to faithfully reproduce the geometry of the detection system and the pipeline that being analyzed and using the same radiotracer, therefore, its value is constant for each specific measuring system under survey. This experimental apparatus for obtaining the factor F consisting by a pipe of 2 ″PVC, which simulates a transmission line, where they were deposited 500 ml oil and the use of a specific pipette for use viscous fluids were added sequentially aliquots (50.00 ± 0.01) μl radiotracer (radionuclide photopeak energy of 198 Au 411.8 keV) and analyzing data obtained by three distinct detection systems composed of detectors NaI scintillators 1″ x 1 ″ and a data acquisition system. (author)

Experimental device for obtaining calibration factor for the total count technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonçalves, Eduardo R.; Braz, Delson [Coordenacao de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Brandão, Luís Eduardo B. [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Divisao de Reatores

2017-07-01

Nuclear technologies have widely used on industry plants in order to help to solve troubles processes/design or just obtain information of them. The Total Count technique for flow measurement has as main advantages: being an absolute technique, because it is independent of additional devices readings unless the directly used for recording the radioactive cloud, requiring only a single detector to provide the final result; the independence of the internal volume of the transport duct, can be applied in the presence or absence of obstructions; no restriction as to the nature of the product or material to be conveyed; it is a noninvasive technique which allows real-time diagnostics. To use Total Count Technique, knowledge of a geometric calibration factor is required. Called Factor F, it is obtained in the laboratory using an experimental apparatus to faithfully reproduce the geometry of the detection system and the pipeline that being analyzed and using the same radiotracer, therefore, its value is constant for each specific measuring system under survey. This experimental apparatus for obtaining the factor F consisting by a pipe of 2 ″PVC, which simulates a transmission line, where they were deposited 500 ml oil and the use of a specific pipette for use viscous fluids were added sequentially aliquots (50.00 ± 0.01) μl radiotracer (radionuclide photopeak energy of 198 Au 411.8 keV) and analyzing data obtained by three distinct detection systems composed of detectors NaI scintillators 1″ x 1 ″ and a data acquisition system. (author)

Immature germ cells in semen - correlation with total sperm count and sperm motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Priya S; Humbarwadi, Rajendra S; Patil, Ashalata D; Gune, Anita R

2013-07-01

Current data regarding infertility suggests that male factor contributes up to 30% of the total cases of infertility. Semen analysis reveals the presence of spermatozoa as well as a number of non-sperm cells, presently being mentioned in routine semen report as "round cells" without further differentiating them into leucocytes or immature germ cells. The aim of this work was to study a simple, cost-effective, and convenient method for differentiating the round cells in semen into immature germ cells and leucocytes and correlating them with total sperm counts and motility. Semen samples from 120 males, who had come for investigation for infertility, were collected, semen parameters recorded, and stained smears studied for different round cells. Statistical analysis of the data was done to correlate total sperm counts and sperm motility with the occurrence of immature germ cells and leucocytes. The average shedding of immature germ cells in different groups with normal and low sperm counts was compared. The clinical significance of "round cells" in semen and their differentiation into leucocytes and immature germ cells are discussed. Round cells in semen can be differentiated into immature germ cells and leucocytes using simple staining methods. The differential counts mentioned in a semen report give valuable and clinically relevant information. In this study, we observed a negative correlation between total count and immature germ cells, as well as sperm motility and shedding of immature germ cells. The latter was statistically significant with a P value 0.000.

Validation parameters of instrumental method for determination of total bacterial count in milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataša Mikulec

2004-10-01

Full Text Available The method of flow citometry as rapid, instrumental and routine microbiological method is used for determination of total bacterial count in milk. The results of flow citometry are expressed as individual bacterial cells count. Problems regarding the interpretation of the results of total bacterial count can be avoided by transformation of the results of flow citometry method onto the scale of reference method (HRN ISO 6610:2001.. The method of flow citometry, like any analitycal method, according to the HRN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2000 standard, requires validation and verification. This paper describes parameters of validation: accuracy, precision, specificity, range, robustness and measuring uncertainty for the method of flow citometry.

Gamma-spectrometric and total alpha-beta counting methods for radioactivity analysis of deuterium depleted water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferdes, Ov. S.; Mladin, C.; Vladu, Mihaela; Bulubasa, G.; Bidica, N.

2008-01-01

According to national regulations, as well as to the EU directive on the quality of drinking water, the radionuclide concentrations represent some of the drinking water quality parameters. Among the most important radioactivity content parameters are: the total alpha and total beta concentration (Bq/l); K-40 content, and the gamma-nuclides volume activities. The paper presents the measuring methods for low-level total alpha and/or beta counting of volume samples, as well as the high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometric method used to measure the volume activity of nuclides in drinking water. These methods are applied to monitor the radioactivity content and quality of the QLARIVIA brand of Deuterium depleted water (DDW). There are discussed the performances of these applied methods as well as some preliminary results. (authors)

White Blood Cell Count and Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in the Women's Health Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Kabat, Geoffrey C; Kim, Mimi Y; Manson, JoAnn E; Lessin, Lawrence; Lin, Juan; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Rohan, Thomas E

2017-07-01

White blood cell (WBC) count appears to predict total mortality and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, but it is unclear to what extent the association reflects confounding by smoking, underlying illness, or comorbid conditions. We used data from the Women's Health Initiative to examine the associations of WBC count with total mortality, CHD mortality, and cancer mortality. WBC count was measured at baseline in 160,117 postmenopausal women and again in year 3 in 74,375 participants. Participants were followed for a mean of 16 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relative mortality hazards associated with deciles of baseline WBC count and of the mean of baseline + year 3 WBC count. High deciles of both baseline and mean WBC count were positively associated with total mortality and CHD mortality, whereas the association with cancer mortality was weaker. The association of WBC count with mortality was independent of smoking and did not appear to be influenced by previous disease history. The potential clinical utility of this common laboratory test in predicting mortality risk warrants further study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The use of flow cytometry to accurately ascertain total and viable counts of Lactobacillus rhamnosus in chocolate.

Science.gov (United States)

Raymond, Yves; Champagne, Claude P

2015-04-01

The goals of this study were to evaluate the precision and accuracy of flow cytometry (FC) methodologies in the evaluation of populations of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011) in two commercial dried forms, and ascertain the challenges in enumerating them in a chocolate matrix. FC analyses of total (FC(T)) and viable (FC(V)) counts in liquid or dried cultures were almost two times more precise (reproducible) than traditional direct microscopic counts (DCM) or colony forming units (CFU). With FC, it was possible to ascertain low levels of dead cells (FC(D)) in fresh cultures, which is not possible with traditional CFU and DMC methodologies. There was no interference of chocolate solids on FC counts of probiotics when inoculation was above 10(7) bacteria per g. Addition of probiotics in chocolate at 40 °C resulted in a 37% loss in viable cells. Blending of the probiotic powder into chocolate was not uniform which raised a concern that the precision of viable counts could suffer. FCT data can serve to identify the correct inoculation level of a sample, and viable counts (FCV or CFU) can subsequently be better interpreted. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calculation of total counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector by hybrid Monte-Carlo method for point and disk sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yalcin, S. [Education Faculty, Kastamonu University, 37200 Kastamonu (Turkey)], E-mail: yalcin@gazi.edu.tr; Gurler, O.; Kaynak, G. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Uludag University, Gorukle Campus, 16059 Bursa (Turkey); Gundogdu, O. [Department of Physics, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2007-10-15

This paper presents results on the total gamma counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector from point and disk sources. The directions of photons emitted from the source were determined by Monte-Carlo techniques and the photon path lengths in the detector were determined by analytic equations depending on photon directions. This is called the hybrid Monte-Carlo method where analytical expressions are incorporated into the Monte-Carlo simulations. A major advantage of this technique is the short computation time compared to other techniques on similar computational platforms. Another advantage is the flexibility for inputting detector-related parameters (such as source-detector distance, detector radius, source radius, detector linear attenuation coefficient) into the algorithm developed, thus making it an easy and flexible method to apply to other detector systems and configurations. The results of the total counting efficiency model put forward for point and disc sources were compared with the previous work reported in the literature.

Calculation of total counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector by hybrid Monte-Carlo method for point and disk sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalcin, S.; Gurler, O.; Kaynak, G.; Gundogdu, O.

2007-01-01

This paper presents results on the total gamma counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector from point and disk sources. The directions of photons emitted from the source were determined by Monte-Carlo techniques and the photon path lengths in the detector were determined by analytic equations depending on photon directions. This is called the hybrid Monte-Carlo method where analytical expressions are incorporated into the Monte-Carlo simulations. A major advantage of this technique is the short computation time compared to other techniques on similar computational platforms. Another advantage is the flexibility for inputting detector-related parameters (such as source-detector distance, detector radius, source radius, detector linear attenuation coefficient) into the algorithm developed, thus making it an easy and flexible method to apply to other detector systems and configurations. The results of the total counting efficiency model put forward for point and disc sources were compared with the previous work reported in the literature

Effect of warm-smoking on total microbial count of meat products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Javadi

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The frankfurters are amongst the most famous and popular sausages in the world and beef and poultry meat are used in Iran for their preparation. The techniques of warm smoking at 42°c for two hours and then hot smoking together with steam cooking at 8°c for one hour are utilized in proportion of this product. In spite of its carcinogenic properties, smoke is used to create color, flavor and odor and to improve the preservative qualities of sausages. In this study, 14 sausage samples were taken from each of the stages of frankfurter production line including pre-smoking, post- warm smoking and post-hot smoking, their total microbial counts (aerobic mesophiles determined and the means of the three stages compared using the ANOVA statistical test. The results indicated that the total microbial count increased significantly (P

Association of peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts with obesity-related complications in young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimura, Aya; Ohnishi, Shunsuke; Orito, Chieko; Kawahara, Yukako; Takasaki, Hiroyo; Takeda, Hiroshi; Sakamoto, Naoya; Hashino, Satoshi

2015-01-01

Obesity has been demonstrated to be associated with elevated leukocytes in adults and children. This study assessed the associations between peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts and obesity-related complications in young adults. 12 obese (median age 21.5 (range 19-28) years, median BMI 35.7 (range 32.0-44.9) kg/m(2)) and 11 normal (median age 23 (range 18-27) years, median BMI 19.5 (range 18.1-21.7) kg/m(2)) adults were enrolled. Complete blood count and serum levels of liver enzymes, fasting blood glucose, insulin and lipids were measured, and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was calculated. Fat mass was calculated using a bioimpedance analysis device, and ultrasonography was performed to measure fat thickness and to detect fatty change of the liver. Total leukocyte and monocyte counts were significantly increased in obese young adults. Total leukocyte count was associated with liver enzyme levels, insulin resistance as well as visceral and subcutaneous fat thickness. Neutrophil count was associated with insulin resistance. Lymphocyte count was associated with serum liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Monocyte count was associated with serum liver enzyme, insulin resistance, visceral and subcutaneous fat thickness, body fat mass, and percentage body fat. The results of this study suggest that chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with obesity-related complications such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia in young adults. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Up or down? Reading direction influences vertical counting direction in the horizontal plane ? a cross-cultural comparison

OpenAIRE

G?bel, Silke M.

2015-01-01

Most adults and children in cultures where reading text progresses from left to right also count objects from the left to the right side of space. The reverse is found in cultures with a right-to-left reading direction. The current set of experiments investigated whether vertical counting in the horizontal plane is also influenced by reading direction. Participants were either from a left-to-right reading culture (UK) or from a mixed (left-to-right and top-to-bottom) reading culture (Hong Kon...

A ppendicitis with Positive Ultrasound and its Relation to Total and Differential Leucocytic Count

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saleh, G.M.; Sabek, E.A.S.; Elessiely, E.S.; Ibrahim, E.M.

2016-01-01

Background:The most common cause of acute surgical abdomen is acute appendicitis and the most commonly done emergency surgery is appendectomy. Although a battery of tests and different scoring methods are available for diagnosis of acute appendicitis, it is very difficult to prevent negative explorations for appendicectomy (15 - 30%). None of the tests has satisfactory Sensitivity and specificity that can be relied upon. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of total and differential leukocyte count, and ultrasonography (USG) of abdomen in diagnosing acute appendicitis and reducing the rates of negative appendicectomies and to prevent complications like perforation, peritonitis, and the longer the delay between diagnosis and surgery, the more likely is the perforation leading to peritonitis. In addition, emphasis was given to whether combining the investigations for the same patient would improve the diagnostic accuracy. Materials and Methods : A total of 76 clinically diagnosed patients of acute appendicitis, posted for emergency appendicectomy were included in the study in General Surgery Department of EL-Salam Hospital. This study was conducted in the period October 2012 to September 2013. Preoperatively blood tests for, total leukocyte count, differential leukocyte count(DLC) and USG abdomen were done. All patients were subjected to histological examination postoperatively, which was taken as the gold standard. The three investigations results were correlated with histopathological examination reports to evaluate their role in diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Results: In the present study, the US has the highest sensitivity and specificity (90%, 80%) followed by Total leucocyte count (87.5%, 90%), white Neutrophil count (78.75%, 80%). Combining US and WBC count increases the sensitivity and specificity of the tests (96.25%, 80%). Conclusion: US contains important diagnostic information and hence should always be included in the

Relationship of Total Motile Sperm Count and Percentage Motile Sperm to Successful Pregnancy Rates Following Intrauterine Insemination

OpenAIRE

Pasqualotto, Eleonora B.; Daitch, James A.; Hendin, Benjamin N.; Falcone, Tommaso; Thomas, Anthony J.; Nelson, David R.; Agarwal, Ashok

1999-01-01

Purpose:This study sought (i) to investigate the relationship between postwash total motile sperm count and postwash percentage motile sperm in predicting successful intrauterine insemination and (ii) to determine the minimal postwash total motile sperm count required to achieve pregnancy with intrauterine insemination.

Immature germ cells in semen - correlation with total sperm count and sperm motility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priya S Patil

2013-01-01

Conclusions: Round cells in semen can be differentiated into immature germ cells and leucocytes using simple staining methods. The differential counts mentioned in a semen report give valuable and clinically relevant information. In this study, we observed a negative correlation between total count and immature germ cells, as well as sperm motility and shedding of immature germ cells. The latter was statistically significant with a P value 0.000.

Detection of Salmonella sp., Vibrio sp. and total plate count bacteria on blood cockle (Anadara granosa)

Science.gov (United States)

Ekawati, ER; Yusmiati, S. N. H.

2018-01-01

Blood cockle (Anadara granosa) has high level of zinc and protein, which is beneficial for therapeutic function for malnourished particularly stunting case in children. Zinc in animal foods is more absorbable than that from vegetable food. Blood cockle (Anadara granosa) is rich in nutrient and an excellent environment for the growth of microorganisms. This research aimed to identify the contamination of Salmonella sp., Vibrio sp. and total plate count bacteria on blood cockle (Anadara granosa). This was observation research with laboratory analysis. Salmonella sp. and Vibrio sp. were detected from blood cockle. Total plate count was determine of the total amount of the bacteria. Results detected from 20 samples of blood cockle showed that all samples were negative of Salmonella sp. and 1 sample positive Vibrio sp. The result of total plate count bacteria was < 5 x 105 colony/g sample.

Changes in total viable count and TVB-N content in marinated chicken breast fillets during storage

Science.gov (United States)

Baltić, T.; Ćirić, J.; Velebit, B.; Petronijević, R.; Lakićević, B.; Đorđević, V.; Janković, V.

2017-09-01

Marination is a popular technique for enhancing meat properties. Depending on the marinade type and ingredients added, marination can improve sensory, chemical and microbiological quality of meat products. In this study, the total viable count and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content in marinated chicken breast fillets were investigated. The possible correlation between bacterial growth and formation of TVB-N was also tested. Chicken breast fillets were immersed in a solution of table salt (as a control) orthree different marinades,which consisted of table salt, sodium tripolyphosphate and/or sodium citrate, and stored in air for nine days at 4±1°C. Analyses of the total viable count and TVB-N were performed on days0, 3, 6 and 9 day of storage. The total viable count gradually increased in all examined groups, and statistically significant differences (pchicken were significantly higher (pchicken marinated with sodium citrate was established (pchicken marinated with sodium tripolyphosphate.

Determination of total bacterial count in raw milk by flow cytometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dubravka Samaržija

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The automatic flow cytometry as routine method for total bacterial count determination of raw ex-farm milk has recently been accepted in Croatia. This method significantly differs from the reference method (Standard Plate Count mostly in the presentation of the results obtained. Therefore, this paper summarized experiences in the application of flow cytometry in the dairy laboratories practice. The principle and the practice of the method, methodological details and factors influencing the results were described. In order to avoid problems regarding the interpretation of the results, which aregeneral problems of the quantitative microbiology, this article try to explain an appropriate conversion of the results with regards to SPC/ml, as an official method for the bacteriological quality proposal by the national legislation.

Evaluation of Bacteriological Quality of Ready-to-eat Chicken Products by Total Viable Count Method

OpenAIRE

Ramiz Raja; Asif Iqbal; Yasir Hafiz; Mehboob Willayet; Shakoor Bhat; Mudasir Rather

2012-01-01

The present investigation describes the total viable count of ready-to-eat chicken products (chicken patties and chicken rolls) in Srinagar city during two seasons viz. autumn and winter. A total of 120 ready-to-eat chicken products comprising of 60 chicken patties and 60 chicken rolls were tested. The mean bacterial count of 60 chicken patties and 60 chicken rolls was 5.1281 and 4.9395 log10 cfu/g. Bacillus cereus strains were isolated from 25 of chicken patties and 22 of the chicken rolls r...

Total motile sperm count has a superior predictive value over the WHO 2010 cut-off values for the outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Science.gov (United States)

Borges, E; Setti, A S; Braga, D P A F; Figueira, R C S; Iaconelli, A

2016-09-01

The objective of this study was to compare (i) the intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes among groups with different total motile sperm count ranges, (ii) the intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes between groups with normal and abnormal total motile sperm count, and (iii) the predictive values of WHO 2010 cut-off values and pre-wash total motile sperm count for the intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes, in couples with male infertility. This study included data from 518 patients undergoing their first intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle as a result of male infertility. Couples were divided into five groups according to their total motile sperm count: Group I, total motile sperm count sperm count 1-5 × 10(6) ; group III, total motile sperm count 5-10 × 10(6) ; group IV, total motile sperm count 10-20 × 10(6) ; and group V, total motile sperm count >20 × 10(6) (which was considered a normal total motile sperm count value). Then, couples were grouped into an abnormal and normal total motile sperm count group. The groups were compared regarding intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes. The predictive values of WHO 2010 cut-off values and total motile sperm count for the intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes were also investigated. The fertilization rate was lower in total motile sperm count group I compared to total motile sperm count group V (72.5 ± 17.6 vs. 84.9 ± 14.4, p = 0.011). The normal total motile sperm count group had a higher fertilization rate (84.9 ± 14.4 vs. 81.1 ± 15.8, p = 0.016) and lower miscarriage rate (17.9% vs. 29.5%, p = 0.041) compared to the abnormal total motile sperm count group. The total motile sperm count was the only parameter that demonstrated a predictive value for the formation of high-quality embryos on D2 (OR: 1.18, p = 0.013), formation of high-quality embryos on D3 (OR: 1.12, p = 0.037), formation of blastocysts on D5 (OR: 1.16, p = 0.011), blastocyst expansion grade on D5

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, Omid; Afarideh, Hossein; Mohammadnia, Meisam

2015-01-01

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

[Prediction of the total Japanese cedar pollen counts based on male flower-setting conditions of standard trees].

Science.gov (United States)

Yuta, Atsushi; Ukai, Kotaro; Sakakura, Yasuo; Tani, Hideshi; Matsuda, Fukiko; Yang, Tian-qun; Majima, Yuichi

2002-07-01

We made a prediction of the Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen counts at Tsu city based on male flower-setting conditions of standard trees. The 69 standard trees from 23 kinds of clones, planted at Mie Prefecture Science and Technology Promotion Center (Hakusan, Mie) in 1964, were selected. Male flower-setting conditions for 276 faces (69 trees x 4 points of the compass) were scored from 0 to 3. The average of scores and total pollen counts from 1988 to 2000 was analyzed. As the results, the average scores from standard trees and total pollen counts except two mass pollen-scattered years in 1995 and 2000 had a positive correlation (r = 0.914) by linear function. On the mass pollen-scattered years, pollen counts were influenced from the previous year. Therefore, the score of the present year minus that of the previous year were used for analysis. The average scores from male flower-setting conditions and pollen counts had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.994) when positive scores by taking account of the previous year were analyzed. We conclude that prediction of pollen counts are possible based on the male flower-setting conditions of standard trees.

Oil flow rate measurements using 198Au and total count technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncalves, Eduardo R.; Crispim, Verginia R.

2013-01-01

In industrial plants, oil and oil compounds are usually transported by closed pipelines with circular cross-section. The use of radiotracers in oil transport and processing industrial facilities allows calibrating flowmeters, measuring mean residence time in cracking columns, locate points of obstruction or leak in underground ducts, as well as investigating flow behavior or industrial processes such as in distillation towers. Inspection techniques using radiotracers are non-destructive, simple, economic and highly accurate. Among them, Total Count, which uses a small amount of radiotracer with known activity, is acknowledged as an absolute technique for flow rate measurement. A viscous fluid transport system, composed by four PVC pipelines with 13m length (12m horizontal and 1m vertical) and 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 2-inch gauges, respectively, interconnected by maneuvering valves was designed and assembled in order to conduct the research. This system was used to simulate different flow conditions of petroleum compounds and for experimental studies of flow profile in the horizontal and upward directions. As 198 Au presents a single photopeak (411,8 keV), it was the radioisotope chosen for oil labeling, in small amounts (6 ml) or around 200 kBq activity, and it was injected in the oil transport lines. A NaI scintillation detector 2'x 2', with well-defined geometry, was used to measure total activity, determine the calibration factor F and, positioned after a homogenization distance and interconnected to a standardized electronic set of nuclear instrumentation modules (NIM), to detect the radioactive cloud. (author)

Reference values for maternal total and differential leukocyte counts in different trimesters of pregnancy and the initial postpartum period in western Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanci, Muzaffer; Töz, Emrah; Ince, Onur; Özcan, Aykut; Polater, Kevser; Inan, Abdurrahman Hamdi; Beyan, Emrah; Akkaya, Emrah

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in the leukocyte and differential leukocyte counts in different trimesters of pregnancy and the initial postpartum period. The study population consisted of 40,325 pregnant women. A full blood count and automated differential leukocyte count were performed and all the haemogram results in the different trimesters of pregnancy were recorded. Percentiles were calculated using statistical software. A total of 82,786 complete blood count evaluations were performed in 40,325 subjects from the 6th to 41st week of pregnancy and in the initial postpartum period. The leukocyte counts increased from the 1st to the 3rd trimester and peaked in the initial postpartum period. Our reference values for the total and differential leukocyte counts may assist clinicians in distinguishing between leukocytosis and pathological elevation of the white blood cell count during pregnancy and the initial postpartum period. Impact statement Pregnancy requires profound adaptation by multiple systems to accommodate the demands of the developing foetus. Similar to all other systems, many haematological changes occur during pregnancy. Studies of normal variation in leukocyte counts were insufficient to distinguish normal from abnormal leukocyte counts during pregnancy and in the initial postpartum period, due to small numbers of patients and a lack of differential leukocyte counts. Without reference leukocyte levels, infections may be more difficult to assess during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. In this study, we report the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 50th, 95th and 99th percentile values for the total and differential leukocyte counts according to trimester in normal pregnancy and the initial postpartum period. Our reference values for the total and differential leukocyte counts in each trimester and the initial postpartum period may assist clinicians in distinguishing between normal leukocytosis and pathological elevation of the white blood

An corrective method to correct of the inherent flaw of the asynchronization direct counting circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Renfei; Liu Congzhan; Jin Yongjie; Zhang Zhi; Li Yanguo

2003-01-01

As a inherent flaw of the Asynchronization Direct Counting Circuit, the crosstalk, which is resulted from the randomicity of the time-signal always exists between two adjacent channels. In order to reduce the counting error derived from the crosstalk, the author propose an effective method to correct the flaw after analysing the mechanism of the crosstalk

Nature or Nurture in finger counting: a review on the determinants of the direction of number-finger mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola ePrevitali

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The spontaneous use of finger counting has been for long recognised as critical to the acquisition of number skills. Recently, the great interest on space-number associations shifted attention to the practice of finger counting itself, and specifically, to its spatial components. Besides general cross-cultural differences in mapping numbers onto fingers, contrasting results have been reported with regard to the directional features of this mapping. The key issue we address is to what extent directionality is culturally-mediated, i.e., linked to the conventional reading-writing system direction, and/or biologically determined, i.e. linked to hand dominance. Although the preferred starting hand for counting seems to depend on the surveyed population, even within the same population high inter-individual variability minimises the role of cultural factors. Even if so far largely overlooked, handedness represents a sound candidate for shaping finger counting direction. Here we discuss adults and developmental evidence in support of this view and we reconsider the plausibility of multiple and coexistent number-space mapping in physical and representational space.

Tolerance to bovine clinical mastitis: Total, direct, and indirect milk losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Detilleux, J

2018-04-01

The objectives of this paper were to estimate direct and indirect milk losses associated with mastitis. Indirect losses, linked to indirect tolerance, are mediated by the increase in milk somatic cell count (SCC) in response to bacterial infection. Direct losses, linked to weak direct tolerance, are not mediated by the increase in SCC. So far, studies have evaluated milk loss associated with clinical mastitis without considering both components, which may lead to biased estimates of their sum; that is, the total loss in milk. A total of 43,903 test-day records on milk and SCC from 3,716 cows and 5,858 lactations were analyzed with mediation mixed models and health trajectories to estimate the amount of direct, indirect, and total milk losses after adjustment for known and potentially unmeasured (sensitivity analyses) confounding factors. Estimates were formalized under the counterfactual causal theory of causation. In this study, milk losses were mostly mediated by an increase in SCC. They were highest in the first month of lactation, when SCC were highest. Milk losses were estimated at 0.5, 0.8, and 1.1 kg/d in first, second, and third and greater parity, respectively. Two phases described how changes in milk were associated with changes in SCC: on average, one occurred before and one after the day preceding the clinical diagnosis. In both phases, changes in milk were estimated at 1 mg/d per 10 3 cells/mL. After adjusting for known confounders, cow effect accounted for 20.7 and 64.2% of the variation in milk in the first and second phases, respectively. This suggests that deviations from the resilient path were highest during the second phase of inflammation and that selection for cows more tolerant to mastitis is feasible. As discussed herein, epigenetic regulation of macrophage polarization may contribute to the variation in milk observed in the second phase. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Some hematological parameters and the prognostic values of CD4, CD8 and total lymphocyte counts and CD4/CD8 cell count ratio in healthy HIV sero-negative, healthy HIV sero-positive and AIDS subjects in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

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Blessing Didia

2008-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The present study attempts to determine normal values of CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio, total WBC and differential counts, hematocrit and total lymphocyte count (TLC in healthy HIV sero-negative and sero-positive subjects, and to assess the prognostic significance of these parameters in these subjects as compared to AIDS subjects.METHODS: A total of 300 subjects (147 M, 153 F aged between 17 and 71 years were recruited into the study. Subjects were separated according to sex and divided into three groups: Group A: healthy HIV sero-negative subjects; Group B: healthy HIV sero-positive newly diagnosed ART-naïve subjects; and Group C: AIDS subjects. CD4 and CD8 counts were determined by flow cytometry; hematocrit was determined using Hawksley micro-capillary tubes; total WBC and differential counts were determined manually with the improved Neubauer counting chamber; and TLC was obtained by multiplying the percentage of lymphocytes by the total WBC count.RESULTS: For male subjects, significant differences were found in CD4 count, CD4/CD8 count ratio, hematocrit, total WBC and TLC, whereas for female subjects, significant differences were found only in CD4 and CD4/CD8 count ratio in the three groups of subjects. In both sexes, however, these parameters were found to be highest in healthy HIV sero-negative subjects and lowest in AIDS subjects, with HIV sero-positive subjects having intermediate values. CONCLUSION: The results confirm previous reports that the CD4 count and CD4/CD8 count ratio are fairly reliable indicators of the progression of HIV infection. In addition, the results also apparently suggest that the prognostic value of CD8 count is limited and that of TLC possibly sex-dependent. The results could be of importance in our environment since previous reports have been relatively scarce.

Nondestructive detection of total viable count changes of chilled pork in high oxygen storage condition based on hyperspectral technology

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xiaochun; Peng, Yankun; Li, Yongyu; Chao, Kuanglin; Qin, Jianwei

2017-05-01

The plate count method is commonly used to detect the total viable count (TVC) of bacteria in pork, which is timeconsuming and destructive. It has also been used to study the changes of the TVC in pork under different storage conditions. In recent years, many scholars have explored the non-destructive methods on detecting TVC by using visible near infrared (VIS/NIR) technology and hyperspectral technology. The TVC in chilled pork was monitored under high oxygen condition in this study by using hyperspectral technology in order to evaluate the changes of total bacterial count during storage, and then evaluate advantages and disadvantages of the storage condition. The VIS/NIR hyperspectral images of samples stored in high oxygen condition was acquired by a hyperspectral system in range of 400 1100nm. The actual reference value of total bacteria was measured by standard plate count method, and the results were obtained in 48 hours. The reflection spectra of the samples are extracted and used for the establishment of prediction model for TVC. The spectral preprocessing methods of standard normal variate transformation (SNV), multiple scatter correction (MSC) and derivation was conducted to the original reflectance spectra of samples. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) of TVC was performed and optimized to be the prediction model. The results show that the near infrared hyperspectral technology based on 400-1100nm combined with PLSR model can describe the growth pattern of the total bacteria count of the chilled pork under the condition of high oxygen very vividly and rapidly. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the nondestructive method of TVC based on NIR hyperspectral has great potential in monitoring of edible safety in processing and storage of meat.

Influence of the type of milking and storage of milk on the chem ical composition, Somatic Cell Count and bacterial count Total

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Aline Leite Peixoto

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The refrigeration of milk and the usage of mechanical milking are important to obtain milk in accordance with quality standards. In this work we evaluated the influence of the type of milking process and type of storage on the quality of the refrigerated milk. It was obtained 1363 refrigerated milk samples stored in single or collective expansion tanks, from manually or mechanically milked animals. The experiment was carried out in a 2x2 randomized factorial scheme. Two types of expansion tanks (single and collective and two types of milking (manual and mechanical. The average comparison test and Tukey test was carried out with 95% confidence. The levels of fat, protein, lactose and defatted dry extract, were evaluated according to the type of milking and type of milk storage. The values obtained were higher when compared to the values stabilished by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply. The level of milk fat was higher in samples with somatic cell count above 501,000 SC/mL. However, the levels of protein and defatted dry extract were higher in samples with somatic cell count below 500,000 SC/mL. The type of milking and the type of storage have influence on parameters related to milk quality such as levels of fat, protein, lactose and somatic cell count. The milk chemical composition revealed in accordance with the values stabilished by the Brazilian legislation. The total bacterial count did not vary with storage type nor the type of milking.

Total and Differential Leukocyte Counts in Relation to Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study.

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Borné, Yan; Smith, J Gustav; Nilsson, Peter M; Melander, Olle; Hedblad, Bo; Engström, Gunnar

2016-01-01

High concentrations of leukocytes in blood have been associated with diabetes mellitus. This prospective study aimed to explore whether total and differential leukocyte counts are associated with incidence of diabetes. A missense variant R262W in the SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) gene, coding for a protein that negatively regulates hematopoietic cell proliferation, was also studied in relation to incidence of diabetes. Leukocyte count and its subtypes (neutrophils, lymphocytes and mixed cells) were analyzed in 26,667 men and women, 45-73 years old, from the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer study. Information about the R262W polymorphism (rs3184504) in SH2B3 was genotyped in 24,489 subjects. Incidence of diabetes was studied during a mean follow-up of 14 years. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine incidence of diabetes by total and differential leukocyte counts. Mendelian randomization analysis using R262W as an instrumental variable was performed with two-stage least squares regression. A total of 2,946 subjects developed diabetes during the follow-up period. After taking several possible confounders into account, concentrations of total leukocyte count, neutrophils and lymphocytes were all significantly associated with incidence of diabetes. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval; quartile 4 vs quartile 1) were 1.37 (1.22-1.53) for total leukocytes, 1.33 (1.19-1.49) for neutrophils and 1.29 (1.15-1.44) for lymphocytes. The R262W polymorphism was strongly associated with leukocytes (0.11x109 cells/l per T allele, p = 1.14 x10-12), lymphocytes (p = 4.3 x10-16), neutrophils (p = 8.0 x10-6) and mixed cells (p = 3.0 x10-6). However, there was no significant association between R262W and fasting glucose, HbA1c or incidence of diabetes. Concentrations of total leukocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes are associated with incidence of diabetes. However, the lack of association with the R262W polymorphism suggests that the associations

21 CFR 862.1110 - Bilirubin (total or direct) test system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bilirubin (total or direct) test system. 862.1110... Systems § 862.1110 Bilirubin (total or direct) test system. (a) Identification. A bilirubin (total or direct) test system is a device intended to measure the levels of bilirubin (total or direct) in plasma...

Tower counts

Science.gov (United States)

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

2007-01-01

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

Temporal aggregation of migration counts can improve accuracy and precision of trends

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Tara L. Crewe

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Temporal replicate counts are often aggregated to improve model fit by reducing zero-inflation and count variability, and in the case of migration counts collected hourly throughout a migration, allows one to ignore nonindependence. However, aggregation can represent a loss of potentially useful information on the hourly or seasonal distribution of counts, which might impact our ability to estimate reliable trends. We simulated 20-year hourly raptor migration count datasets with known rate of change to test the effect of aggregating hourly counts to daily or annual totals on our ability to recover known trend. We simulated data for three types of species, to test whether results varied with species abundance or migration strategy: a commonly detected species, e.g., Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus; a rarely detected species, e.g., Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus; and a species typically counted in large aggregations with overdispersed counts, e.g., Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus. We compared accuracy and precision of estimated trends across species and count types (hourly/daily/annual using hierarchical models that assumed a Poisson, negative binomial (NB or zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB count distribution. We found little benefit of modeling zero-inflation or of modeling the hourly distribution of migration counts. For the rare species, trends analyzed using daily totals and an NB or ZINB data distribution resulted in a higher probability of detecting an accurate and precise trend. In contrast, trends of the common and overdispersed species benefited from aggregation to annual totals, and for the overdispersed species in particular, trends estimating using annual totals were more precise, and resulted in lower probabilities of estimating a trend (1 in the wrong direction, or (2 with credible intervals that excluded the true trend, as compared with hourly and daily counts.

How much locomotive activity is needed for an active physical activity level: analysis of total step counts

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Ohkawara Kazunori

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although physical activity recommendations for public health have focused on locomotive activity such as walking and running, it is uncertain how much these activities contribute to overall physical activity level (PAL. The purpose of the present study was to determine the contribution of locomotive activity to PAL using total step counts measured in a calorimeter study. Methods PAL, calculated as total energy expenditure divided by basal metabolic rate, was evaluated in 11 adult men using three different conditions for 24-hour human calorimeter measurements: a low-activity day (L-day targeted at a low active level of PAL (1.45, and a high-frequency moderate activity day (M-day or a high-frequency vigorous activity day (V-day targeted at an active level of PAL (1.75. These subjects were permitted only light activities except prescribed activities. In a separate group of 41 adults, free-living PAL was evaluated using doubly-labeled water (DLW. In both experiments, step counts per day were also measured using an accelerometer. Results In the human calorimeter study, PAL and step counts were 1.42 ± 0.10 and 8,973 ± 543 steps/d (L-day, 1.82 ± 0.14 and 29,588 ± 1,126 steps/d (M-day, and 1.74 ± 0.15 and 23,755 ± 1,038 steps/d (V-day, respectively. In the DLW study, PAL and step counts were 1.73 ± 0.15 and 10,022 ± 2,605 steps/d, and there was no significant relationship between PAL and daily step counts. Conclusions These results indicate that an enormous number of steps are needed for an active level of PAL if individuals extend physical activity-induced energy expenditure by only locomotive activity. Therefore, non-locomotive activity such as household activity should also play a significant role in increasing PAL under free-living conditions.

Clean Hands Count

Medline Plus

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Can Serum Albumin Level and Total Lymphocyte Count be Surrogates for Malnutrition to Predict Wound Complications After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Science.gov (United States)

Morey, Vivek M; Song, Young Dong; Whang, Ji Sup; Kang, Yeon Gwi; Kim, Tae Kyun

2016-06-01

Although the serum albumin level and total lymphocyte count (TLC) have been reported as valid and reliable markers for defining malnutrition, their cutoff levels and predictive values for wound complications in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remain questionable. A total of 3169 TKAs performed between April 2003 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. We determined the prevalence of malnutrition on applying different definitions, with various cutoff values of serum albumin and TLC and analyzed the variations in outcome. The differences between groups with and without malnutrition in terms of functional outcome and complications were determined using Student's t test and analysis of variance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the independent risk factors. Among all the patients (N = 3169), the serum albumin level and TLC varied widely, with means of 4.1 g/dL and 2189 cells/mm(3), respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition (21%) as per the conventional definition (serum albumin level malnutrition was defined as serum albumin malnutrition for predicting wound complications after TKA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flow Cytometry Total Cell Counts: A Field Study Assessing Microbiological Water Quality and Growth in Unchlorinated Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, G.; Van der Mark, E. J.; Verberk, J. Q. J. C.; Van Dijk, J. C.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of flow cytometry total cell counts (TCCs) as a parameter to assess microbial growth in drinking water distribution systems and to determine the relationships between different parameters describing the biostability of treated water. A one-year sampling program was carried out in two distribution systems in The Netherlands. Results demonstrated that, in both systems, the biomass differences measured by ATP were not significant. TCC differences were also not significant in treatment plant 1, but decreased slightly in treatment plant 2. TCC values were found to be higher at temperatures above 15°C than at temperatures below 15°C. The correlation study of parameters describing biostability found no relationship among TCC, heterotrophic plate counts, and Aeromonas. Also no relationship was found between TCC and ATP. Some correlation was found between the subgroup of high nucleic acid content bacteria and ATP (R 2 = 0.63). Overall, the results demonstrated that TCC is a valuable parameter to assess the drinking water biological quality and regrowth; it can directly and sensitively quantify biomass, detect small changes, and can be used to determine the subgroup of active HNA bacteria that are related to ATP. PMID:23819117

Flow Cytometry Total Cell Counts: A Field Study Assessing Microbiological Water Quality and Growth in Unchlorinated Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of flow cytometry total cell counts (TCCs as a parameter to assess microbial growth in drinking water distribution systems and to determine the relationships between different parameters describing the biostability of treated water. A one-year sampling program was carried out in two distribution systems in The Netherlands. Results demonstrated that, in both systems, the biomass differences measured by ATP were not significant. TCC differences were also not significant in treatment plant 1, but decreased slightly in treatment plant 2. TCC values were found to be higher at temperatures above 15°C than at temperatures below 15°C. The correlation study of parameters describing biostability found no relationship among TCC, heterotrophic plate counts, and Aeromonas. Also no relationship was found between TCC and ATP. Some correlation was found between the subgroup of high nucleic acid content bacteria and ATP (R2=0.63. Overall, the results demonstrated that TCC is a valuable parameter to assess the drinking water biological quality and regrowth; it can directly and sensitively quantify biomass, detect small changes, and can be used to determine the subgroup of active HNA bacteria that are related to ATP.

Direct photon-counting scintillation detector readout using an SSPM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stapels, Christopher J.; Squillante, Michael R.; Lawrence, William G.; Augustine, Frank L.; Christian, James F.

2007-01-01

Gamma-ray detector technologies, capable of providing adequate energy information, use photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or silicon avalanche photodiodes to detect the light pulse from a scintillation crystal. A new approach to detect the light from scintillation materials is to use an array of small photon counting detectors, or a 'detector-on-a-chip' based on a novel 'Solid-state Photomultiplier' (SSPM) concept. A CMOS SSPM coupled to a scintillation crystal uses an array of CMOS Geiger photodiode (GPD) pixels to collect light and produce a signal proportional to the energy of the radiation. Each pixel acts as a binary photon detector, but the summed output is an analog representation of the total photon intensity. We have successfully fabricated arrays of GPD pixels in a CMOS environment, which makes possible the production of miniaturized arrays integrated with the detector electronics in a small silicon chip. This detector technology allows for a substantial cost reduction while preserving the energy resolution needed for radiological measurements. In this work, we compare designs for the SSPM detector. One pixel design achieves maximum detection efficiency (DE) for 632-nm photons approaching 30% with a room temperature dark count rate (DCR) of less than 1 kHz for a 30-μm-diameter pixel. We characterize after pulsing and optical cross talk and discuss their effects on the performance of the SSPM. For 30-μm diameter, passively quenched CMOS GPD pixels, modeling suggests that a pixel spacing of approximately 90 μm optimizes the SSPM performance with respect to DE and cross talk

Comparative seric TGF(β1, β2) levels and platelets count response in total body irradiated baboons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mestries, J.C.; Veyret, J.; Agay, D.; Van Uye, A.; Caterini, R.; Herodin, F.; Mathieu, J.; Chancerelle, Y.

1994-01-01

Total body irradiation associated or not with r-hIL-6 treatment a relation between TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 blood levels and platelets count. During radio-induced thrombocytopenia, by decreasing its ability to inhibit proliferation of stem cells and megakaryocytopoiesis, the TGF-β falling induced a favorable condition for hematopoietic recovery. (author)

Determining eligibility for antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings using total lymphocyte counts, hemoglobin and body mass index

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Solberg Peter

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4 cell count testing is the standard method for determining eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART, but is not widely available in sub-Saharan Africa. Total lymphocyte counts (TLCs have not proven sufficiently accurate in identifying subjects with low CD4 counts. We developed clinical algorithms using TLCs, hemoglobin (Hb, and body mass index (BMI to identify patients who require ART. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of HIV-infected adults in Uganda, who presented for assessment for ART-eligibility with WHO clinical stages I, II or III. Two by two tables were constructed to examine TLC thresholds, which maximized sensitivity for CD4 cell counts ≤ 200 cells μL, while minimizing the number offered ART with counts > 350 cells μL. Hb and BMI values were then examined to try to improve model performance. Results 1787 subjects were available for analysis. Median CD4 cell counts and TLCs, were 239 cells/μL and 1830 cells/μL, respectively. Offering ART to all subjects with a TLCs ≤ 2250 cells/μL produced a sensitivity of 0.88 and a false positive ratio of 0.21. Algorithms that treated all patients with a TLC 3000 cells/μL, and used Hb and/or BMI values to determine eligibility for those with TLC values between 2000 and 3000 cells/μL, marginally improved accuracy. Conclusion TLCs appear useful in predicting who would be eligible for ART based on CD4 cell count criteria. Hb and BMI values may be useful in prioritizing patients for ART, but did not improve model accuracy.

Total mesophilic counts underestimate in many cases the contamination levels of psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in chilled-stored food products at the end of their shelf-life.

Science.gov (United States)

Pothakos, Vasileios; Samapundo, Simbarashe; Devlieghere, Frank

2012-12-01

The major objective of this study was to determine the role of psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in spoilage-associated phenomena at the end of the shelf-life of 86 various packaged (air, vacuum, modified-atmosphere) chilled-stored retail food products. The current microbiological standards, which are largely based on the total viable mesophilic counts lack discriminatory capacity to detect psychrotrophic LAB. A comparison between the total viable counts on plates incubated at 30 °C (representing the mesophiles) and at 22 °C (indicating the psychrotrophs) for 86 food samples covering a wide range - ready-to-eat vegetable salads, fresh raw meat, cooked meat products and composite food - showed that a consistent underestimation of the microbial load occurs when the total aerobic mesophilic counts are used as a shelf-life parameter. In 38% of the samples, the psychrotrophic counts had significantly higher values (+0.5-3 log CFU/g) than the corresponding total aerobic mesophilic counts. A total of 154 lactic acid bacteria, which were unable to proliferate at 30 °C were isolated. In addition, a further 43 with a poor recovery at this temperature were also isolated. This study highlights the potential fallacy of the total aerobic mesophilic count as a reference shelf-life parameter for chilled food products as it can often underestimate the contamination levels at the end of the shelf-life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gross alpha/beta analyses in water by liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.T.; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA; Soliman, V.M.; Perera, S.K.

2005-01-01

The standard procedure for analyzing gross alpha and gross beta in water is evaporation of the sample and radioactivity determination of the resultant solids by proportional counting. This technique lacks precision, and lacks sensitivity for samples with high total dissolved solids. Additionally, the analytical results are dependent on the choice of radionuclide calibration standard and the sample matrix. Direct analysis by liquid scintillation counting has the advantages of high counting efficiencies and minimal sample preparation time. However, due to the small sample aliquants used for analysis, long count times are necessary to reach required detection limits. The procedure proposed consists of evaporating a sample aliquant to dryness, dissolving the resultant solids in a small volume of dilute acid, followed by liquid scintillation counting to determine radioactivity. This procedure can handle sample aliquants containing up to 500 mg of dissolved solids. Various acids, scintillation cocktail mixtures, instrument discriminator settings, and regions of interest (ROI) were evaluated to determine optimum counting conditions. Precision is improved and matrix effects are reduced as compared to proportional counting. Tests indicate that this is a viable alternative to proportional counting for gross alpha and gross beta analyses of water samples. (author)

Detection of irradiated food by using direct epifluorescent filter technique/aerobic plate count method (DEFT/APC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yongfu; Li Lili; Wang Changbao; Ji Ping; Wang Chao; Wang Zhidong

2010-01-01

The Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique/Aerobic Plate Count technique(DEFT/APC) can be used to identify the irradiated food by comparing the DEFT and APC counts of the samples prior to the irradiation and after. This technology was tested by using spice and dried marine fish as testing materials in this study. The results shows that the index, log (DEFT/APC) > 4.0, can indicate that the samples have been irradiated at a dose level higher than 1.0 kGy. It also indicates that the detecting sensitivity was affected by the initial value of APC and D 10 value of the samples. (authors)

Total white blood cell counts and LPS-induced TNF alpha production by monocytes of pregnant, pseudopregnant and cyclic rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Faas, MM; Moes, H; van der Schaaf, G; de Leij, LFMH; Heineman, MJ

Pregnancy in the rat may be associated with an activated innate immune system. Therefore, we investigated monocyte function as well as total white blood cell (WBC) counts during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle, pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in the rat. Rats were equipped with a permanent

Total white blood cell counts and LPS-induced TNF alpha production by monocytes of pregnant, pseudopregnant and cyclic rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Faas, M. M.; Moes, H.; van der Schaaf, G.; de Leij, L. F. M. H.; Heineman, M. J.

2003-01-01

Pregnancy in the rat may be associated with an activated innate immune system. Therefore, we investigated monocyte function as well as total white blood cell (WBC) counts during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle, pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in the rat. Rats were equipped with a permanent

Direct cost comparison of totally endoscopic versus open ear surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, N; Mohammadi, A; Jufas, N

2018-02-01

Totally endoscopic ear surgery is a relatively new method for managing chronic ear disease. This study aimed to test the null hypothesis that open and endoscopic approaches have similar direct costs for the management of attic cholesteatoma, from an Australian private hospital setting. A retrospective direct cost comparison of totally endoscopic ear surgery and traditional canal wall up mastoidectomy for the management of attic cholesteatoma in a private tertiary setting was undertaken. Indirect and future costs were excluded. A direct cost comparison of anaesthetic setup and resources, operative setup and resources, and surgical time was performed between the two techniques. Totally endoscopic ear surgery has a mean direct cost reduction of AUD$2978.89 per operation from the hospital perspective, when compared to canal wall up mastoidectomy. Totally endoscopic ear surgery is more cost-effective, from an Australian private hospital perspective, than canal wall up mastoidectomy for attic cholesteatoma.

Evaluation of the performance of a point-of-care method for total and differential white blood cell count in clozapine users.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, H N; Bogers, J P A M; Cohen, D; Njo, T; Herruer, M H

2016-12-01

We evaluated the performance of the HemoCue WBC DIFF, a point-of-care device for total and differential white cell count, primarily to test its suitability for the mandatory white blood cell monitoring in clozapine use. Leukocyte count and 5-part differentiation was performed by the point-of-care device and by routine laboratory method in venous EDTA-blood samples from 20 clozapine users, 20 neutropenic patients, and 20 healthy volunteers. From the volunteers, also a capillary sample was drawn. Intra-assay reproducibility and drop-to-drop variation were tested. The correlation between both methods in venous samples was r > 0.95 for leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. The correlation between point-of-care (capillary sample) and routine (venous sample) methods for these cells was 0.772; 0.817 and 0.798, respectively. Only for leukocyte and neutrophil counts, the intra-assay reproducibility was sufficient. The point-of-care device can be used to screen for leukocyte and neutrophil counts. Because of the relatively high measurement uncertainty and poor correlation with venous samples, we recommend to repeat the measurement with a venous sample if cell counts are in the lower reference range. In case of clozapine therapy, neutropenia can probably be excluded if high neutrophil counts are found and patients can continue their therapy. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Counting probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1976-01-01

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

Total motile sperm count: a better indicator for the severity of male factor infertility than the WHO sperm classification system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hamilton, J.A.; Cissen, M.; Brandes, M.; Smeenk, J.M.; Bruin, J.P. de; Kremer, J.A.M.; Nelen, W.L.D.M.; Hamilton, C.J.C.M.

2015-01-01

STUDY QUESTION: Does the prewash total motile sperm count (TMSC) have a better predictive value for spontaneous ongoing pregnancy (SOP) than the World Health Organization (WHO) classification system? SUMMARY ANSWER: The prewash TMSC shows a better correlation with the spontaneous ongoing pregnancy

Anomalies from aerial spectrometric and total count radiometric surveys in the southeastern United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, C.H.; Lawton, D.E.

1978-01-01

Aerial radiometric reconnaissance surveys are conducted because of their cost, time, and manpower savings compared to surface studies. Two types of aerial surveys are being flown in the southeastern United States: total count gamma-ray surveys for the Coastal Plains Regional Commission and the US Geological Survey, and differential gamma-ray spectrometric surveys for the US Department of Energy. Anomalous radioactivity detected during aerial surveys is related to higher concentrations of naturally occurring uranium, or to cultural activities, natural causes, or mapping errors which simulate real uranium anomalies. Each anomaly should be ground checked; however, several types of anomalies may be eliminated by evaluation of the aerial data in the office if field time is limited

Flow cytometry total cell counts : A field study assessing microbiological water quality and growth in unchlorinated drinking water distribution systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, G.; Van der Mark, E.J.; Verberk, J.Q.; Van Dijk, J.C.

2013-01-01

e objective of this study was to evaluate the application of flow cytometry total cell counts (TCCs) as a parameter to assess microbial growth in drinking water distribution systems and to determine the relationships between different parameters describing the biostability of treated water. A

Direct reconstruction of parametric images for brain PET with event-by-event motion correction: evaluation in two tracers across count levels

Science.gov (United States)

Germino, Mary; Gallezot, Jean-Dominque; Yan, Jianhua; Carson, Richard E.

2017-07-01

Parametric images for dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) are typically generated by an indirect method, i.e. reconstructing a time series of emission images, then fitting a kinetic model to each voxel time activity curve. Alternatively, ‘direct reconstruction’, incorporates the kinetic model into the reconstruction algorithm itself, directly producing parametric images from projection data. Direct reconstruction has been shown to achieve parametric images with lower standard error than the indirect method. Here, we present direct reconstruction for brain PET using event-by-event motion correction of list-mode data, applied to two tracers. Event-by-event motion correction was implemented for direct reconstruction in the Parametric Motion-compensation OSEM List-mode Algorithm for Resolution-recovery reconstruction. The direct implementation was tested on simulated and human datasets with tracers [11C]AFM (serotonin transporter) and [11C]UCB-J (synaptic density), which follow the 1-tissue compartment model. Rigid head motion was tracked with the Vicra system. Parametric images of K 1 and distribution volume (V T  =  K 1/k 2) were compared to those generated by the indirect method by regional coefficient of variation (CoV). Performance across count levels was assessed using sub-sampled datasets. For simulated and real datasets at high counts, the two methods estimated K 1 and V T with comparable accuracy. At lower count levels, the direct method was substantially more robust to outliers than the indirect method. Compared to the indirect method, direct reconstruction reduced regional K 1 CoV by 35-48% (simulated dataset), 39-43% ([11C]AFM dataset) and 30-36% ([11C]UCB-J dataset) across count levels (averaged over regions at matched iteration); V T CoV was reduced by 51-58%, 54-60% and 30-46%, respectively. Motion correction played an important role in the dataset with larger motion: correction increased regional V T by 51% on average in the [11C

Preliminary stochastic model for managing Vibrio parahaemolyticus and total viable bacterial counts in a Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) supply chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Piquer, Judith; Bowman, John P; Ross, Tom; Estrada-Flores, Silvia; Tamplin, Mark L

2013-07-01

Vibrio parahaemolyticus can accumulate and grow in oysters stored without refrigeration, representing a potential food safety risk. High temperatures during oyster storage can lead to an increase in total viable bacteria counts, decreasing product shelf life. Therefore, a predictive tool that allows the estimation of both V. parahaemolyticus populations and total viable bacteria counts in parallel is needed. A stochastic model was developed to quantitatively assess the populations of V. parahaemolyticus and total viable bacteria in Pacific oysters for six different supply chain scenarios. The stochastic model encompassed operations from oyster farms through consumers and was built using risk analysis software. Probabilistic distributions and predictions for the percentage of Pacific oysters containing V. parahaemolyticus and high levels of viable bacteria at the point of consumption were generated for each simulated scenario. This tool can provide valuable information about V. parahaemolyticus exposure and potential control measures and can help oyster companies and regulatory agencies evaluate the impact of product quality and safety during cold chain management. If coupled with suitable monitoring systems, such models could enable preemptive action to be taken to counteract unfavorable supply chain conditions.

Factor V Leiden is associated with increased sperm count.

Science.gov (United States)

van Mens, T E; Joensen, U N; Bochdanovits, Z; Takizawa, A; Peter, J; Jørgensen, N; Szecsi, P B; Meijers, J C M; Weiler, H; Rajpert-De Meyts, E; Repping, S; Middeldorp, S

2017-11-01

count than non-carriers, with an adjusted mean difference of 31 × 106 (95%CI 0.2-61.7; P = 0.048). Mice with the FVL mutation do not have increased spermatogenesis as compared to wildtype mice. None of the studied polymorphisms was in linkage disequilibrium, either in the public databases or in a subgroup of FVL carriers with extremely high sperm counts. The difference in total sperm count would benefit from confirmation in other cohorts. The finding of higher count in carriers was consistent however, with no heterogeneity between the cohorts. The lack of effect of murine FVL might suggest there is no direct causality. The exploratory efforts on genetic linkage do not rule out that the association is a reflection of FVL co-inheritance with a non-studied causative polymorphism. A high sperm count in FVL-carrying males contributes to understanding the high prevalence of this otherwise disadvantageous mutation. The findings might provide directions for future research on male fertility. No conflicts of interest. Research was conducted with funding from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, VIDI innovative research grant 016.126.364 awarded to S. Middeldorp). The Danish cohort was supported by the Innovation Fund Denmark (InnovationsFonden, grant no. 14-2013-4), The Danish Ministry of Health and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. Not applicable. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Correlation of total, diffuse, and direct solar radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Buyco, E. H.; Namkoong, D.

1977-01-01

Present requirements for realistic solar energy system evaluations necessitate a comprehensive body of solar-radition data. The data should include both diffuse and direct solar radiation as well as their total on an hourly (or shorter) basis. In general, however, only the total solar radiation values were recorded. This report presents a correlation that relates the diffuse component of an hourly total solar radiation value to the total radiation ratio of the maximum value attainable. The data used were taken at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts, for the period 1952. The relation - in the form of the data plots - can be used in situations in which only the hourly total radiation data are available but the diffuse component is desired.

Sperm motility and morphology as changing parameters linked to sperm count variations.

OpenAIRE

Dua A; Vaidya S

1996-01-01

Variations in semen analyses of 177 males over a 1 year period were assessed. The average means of total counts, motility, morphology, total motile count and non-motile % were determined for 5 classes of patients ranging from azoospermic to normospermic. Positive relationships between a falling sperm count, a decrease in motility and total motile counts were seen. Also, increasingly, abnormal forms were found with lower sperm counts.

Standard Test Method for Oxygen Content Using a 14-MeV Neutron Activation and Direct-Counting Technique

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the measurement of oxygen concentration in almost any matrix by using a 14-MeV neutron activation and direct-counting technique. Essentially, the same system may be used to determine oxygen concentrations ranging from over 50 % to about 10 g/g, or less, depending on the sample size and available 14-MeV neutron fluence rates. Note 1 - The range of analysis may be extended by using higher neutron fluence rates, larger samples, and higher counting efficiency detectors. 1.2 This test method may be used on either solid or liquid samples, provided that they can be made to conform in size, shape, and macroscopic density during irradiation and counting to a standard sample of known oxygen content. Several variants of this method have been described in the technical literature. A monograph is available which provides a comprehensive description of the principles of activation analysis using a neutron generator (1). 1.3 The values stated in either SI or inch-pound units are to be regarded...

Sperm motility and morphology as changing parameters linked to sperm count variations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dua A

1996-10-01

Full Text Available Variations in semen analyses of 177 males over a 1 year period were assessed. The average means of total counts, motility, morphology, total motile count and non-motile % were determined for 5 classes of patients ranging from azoospermic to normospermic. Positive relationships between a falling sperm count, a decrease in motility and total motile counts were seen. Also, increasingly, abnormal forms were found with lower sperm counts.

Performance of the postwash total motile sperm count as a predictor of pregnancy at the time of intrauterine insemination: a meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Weert, Janne-Meije; Repping, Sjoerd; van Voorhis, Bradley J.; van der Veen, Fulco; Bossuyt, Patrick M. M.; Mol, Ben W. J.

2004-01-01

Objective: To assess the performance and clinical value of the postwash total motile sperm count (postwash TMC) as a test to predict intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcome. Design: Meta-analysis of diagnostic tests. Setting: Tertiary fertility center. Patient(s): Patients undergoing IUI.

French government to trim direct stake in Total

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the French government has decided to slash its direct stake in partly state owned oil company Total to 5% from 31.7%, a surprise move expected to raise 10 billion francs ($1.8 billion). At the same time, other state owned entities will be asked to boost their combined 2.2% stake in Total to 10%, leaving the government with a net 15% interest in Total vs. the current 34%. Initially, state owned insurance companies Groupe des Assurances Nationales and Assurances Generale de France will be asked to hike their stakes in Total, but others could be asked to join if needed to meet the 10% target. The government the its phase-down of participation in Total, established in 1924 to manage French interests in Iraq Petroleum Co., was prompted by the evolution of the oil context, which differs greatly from what had prompted a significant stake of the state in Total's capital

Clean Hands Count

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Association of peripheral differential leukocyte counts with dyslipidemia risk in Chinese patients with hypertension: insight from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanhong; Kong, Xiangyi; Wang, Wen; Fan, Fangfang; Zhang, Yan; Zhao, Min; Wang, Yi; Wang, Yupeng; Wang, Yu; Qin, Xianhui; Tang, Genfu; Wang, Binyan; Xu, Xiping; Hou, Fan Fan; Gao, Wei; Sun, Ningling; Li, Jianping; Venners, Scott A; Jiang, Shanqun; Huo, Yong

2017-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between peripheral differential leukocyte counts and dyslipidemia in a Chinese hypertensive population. A total of 10,866 patients with hypertension were enrolled for a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors using data from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. Plasma lipid levels and total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were determined according to standard methods. Peripheral differential leukocyte counts were consistently and positively associated with serum total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and TG levels (all P dyslipidemia/normolipidemia), we found that patients in the highest quartile of total leukocyte count (≥7.6 × 10 9 cells/l) had 1.64 times the risk of high TG [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46, 1.85], 1.34 times the risk of high TC (95% CI: 1.20, 1.50), and 1.24 times the risk of high LDL-C (95% CI: 1.12, 1.39) compared with their counterparts in the lowest quartile of total leukocyte count. Similar patterns were also observed with neutrophils and lymphocytes. In summary, these findings indicate that elevated differential leukocyte counts are directly associated with serum lipid levels and increased odds of dyslipidemia. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Radon counting statistics - a Monte Carlo investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, A.G.

1996-01-01

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

Decision for counting condition of radioactive waste activities measuring by Ludlum detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambang-Purwanto

2000-01-01

Radioactive waste must measured for activities before be throw out to environment. Measuring will be important in ordered to know activities can be given management direction. For activities radioactive waste on limit threshold value must processed, but for under limit threshold value activities can be throw out to environment. Activities measuring for solid radioactive waste and liquid by (Total, β, γ) Ludlum detector connected Mode-1000 Scaler Counting. Before measuring for solid waste activities was decisioned optimally counting condition, and be obtained are : sample weight 3.5 gram, heating temperature of 125 o C and heating time at 60 minutes. Activities measuring result by total detector ranges from (0.68-0.71) 10 -1 μCi/gram, β detector ranges from (0.24-0.25) 10 -1 μCi/gram and γ detector ranges from (0.35-0.37) μCi/gram

Clean Hands Count

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Epifluorescent direct counts of bacteria and viruses from topsoil of various desert dust storm regions

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Martin, Cristina; Teigell-Perez, Nuria; Lyles, Mark; Valladares, Basilio; Griffin, Dale W.

2013-01-01

Topsoil from arid regions is the main source of dust clouds that move through the earth's atmosphere, and microbial communities within these soils can survive long-range dispersion. Microbial abundance and chemical composition were analyzed in topsoil from various desert regions. Statistical analyses showed that microbial direct counts were strongly positively correlated with calcium concentrations and negatively correlated with silicon concentrations. While variance between deserts was expected, it was interesting to note differences between sample sites within a given desert region, illustrating the 'patchy' nature of microbial communities in desert environments.

Clean Hands Count

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Making Choices: Self-Directed Teams or Total Quality Management?

Science.gov (United States)

Holpp, Lawrence

1992-01-01

Describes differences between total quality management and self-directed teams in terms of job design, decision making, flexibility, supervision, labor relations, quality, customers, and training. Offers suggestions for which method to choose when. (SK)

Effect of milk temperature during irradiation on total bacterial count and keeping quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabbour, M.M.; Dawod, A.H.; Newigy, N.A.; Wahab, G.A.M.

1989-01-01

Cows' and buffaloes' milk samples were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation (100, 200 and 300 Kr) at 10 and 30°C. Irradiation of milk at 10°C caused more reduction in total bacterial count than that occurred at 30°C. The rate of microbial destruction due to irradiation at 10°C was higher than that occurred at 30°C. The keeping quality was determined daily for 15 days by clot-on-boiling test for samples kept at room temperature and in a refrigerator. The keeping quality recorded for cows' and buffaloes' milk samples in the refrigerator was 4 days, while it was only 1 day at room temperature. Irradiation of milk at 10°C was more effective than irradiation at 30°C, to increase the keeping quality of irradiated milk kept at refrigeration. Irradiation of milk samples at 10°C by 200 Kr increased the keeping quality for two weeks in the refrigerator, i.e. such a treatment increased the keeping quality by 4 folds

Leukocyte count, systemic inflammation, and health status in older adults: a narrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chmielewski Piotr

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that elevated leukocyte count within the normal range can predict cardiovascular and total mortality in older adults. These findings are remarkable because this simple and common laboratory test is included in routine medical check-ups. It is well known that chronic systemic inflammation (inflammaging is one of the hallmarks of aging and an important component of obesity-associated insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes and other health problems in both overweight individuals and elderly people. To understand the molecular mechanisms linking increased systemic inflammation with aging-associated diseases and elevated leukocyte counts in the elderly is to unravel the multiplicity of molecular factors and mechanisms involved in chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, the gradual accumulation of random molecular damage, age-related diseases, and the process of leukopoiesis. There are several possible mechanisms through which chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with both higher leukocyte count and a greater risk of aging-associated conditions in older adults. For example, the IL-6 centric model predicts that this biomediator is involved in chronic systemic inflammation and leukopoiesis, thereby suggesting that elevated leukocyte count is a signal of poor health in older adults. Alternatively, an increase in neutrophil and monocyte counts can be a direct cause of cardiovascular events in the elderly. Interestingly, some authors assert that the predictive ability of elevated leukocyte counts with regard to cardiovascular and allcause mortality among older adults surpass the predictive value of total cholesterol. This review reports the recent findings on the links between elevated but normal leukocyte counts and the increased risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The possible molecular mechanisms linking higher but normal leukocyte counts with increased

Design Study of an Incinerator Ash Conveyor Counting System - 13323

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaederstroem, Henrik; Bronson, Frazier

2013-01-01

A design study has been performed for a system that should measure the Cs-137 activity in ash from an incinerator. Radioactive ash, expected to consist of both Cs-134 and Cs-137, will be transported on a conveyor belt at 0.1 m/s. The objective of the counting system is to determine the Cs-137 activity and direct the ash to the correct stream after a diverter. The decision levels are ranging from 8000 to 400000 Bq/kg and the decision error should be as low as possible. The decision error depends on the total measurement uncertainty which depends on the counting statistics and the uncertainty in the efficiency of the geometry. For the low activity decision it is necessary to know the efficiency to be able to determine if the signal from the Cs-137 is above the minimum detectable activity and that it generates enough counts to reach the desired precision. For the higher activity decision the uncertainty of the efficiency needs to be understood to minimize decision errors. The total efficiency of the detector is needed to be able to determine if the detector will be able operate at the count rate at the highest expected activity. The design study that is presented in this paper describes how the objectives of the monitoring systems were obtained, the choice of detector was made and how ISOCS (In Situ Object Counting System) mathematical modeling was used to calculate the efficiency. The ISOCS uncertainty estimator (IUE) was used to determine which parameters of the ash was important to know accurately in order to minimize the uncertainty of the efficiency. The examined parameters include the height of the ash on the conveyor belt, the matrix composition and density and relative efficiency of the detector. (authors)

Design Study of an Incinerator Ash Conveyor Counting System - 13323

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaederstroem, Henrik; Bronson, Frazier [Canberra Industries Inc., 800 Research Parkway Meriden CT 06450 (United States)

2013-07-01

A design study has been performed for a system that should measure the Cs-137 activity in ash from an incinerator. Radioactive ash, expected to consist of both Cs-134 and Cs-137, will be transported on a conveyor belt at 0.1 m/s. The objective of the counting system is to determine the Cs-137 activity and direct the ash to the correct stream after a diverter. The decision levels are ranging from 8000 to 400000 Bq/kg and the decision error should be as low as possible. The decision error depends on the total measurement uncertainty which depends on the counting statistics and the uncertainty in the efficiency of the geometry. For the low activity decision it is necessary to know the efficiency to be able to determine if the signal from the Cs-137 is above the minimum detectable activity and that it generates enough counts to reach the desired precision. For the higher activity decision the uncertainty of the efficiency needs to be understood to minimize decision errors. The total efficiency of the detector is needed to be able to determine if the detector will be able operate at the count rate at the highest expected activity. The design study that is presented in this paper describes how the objectives of the monitoring systems were obtained, the choice of detector was made and how ISOCS (In Situ Object Counting System) mathematical modeling was used to calculate the efficiency. The ISOCS uncertainty estimator (IUE) was used to determine which parameters of the ash was important to know accurately in order to minimize the uncertainty of the efficiency. The examined parameters include the height of the ash on the conveyor belt, the matrix composition and density and relative efficiency of the detector. (authors)

Counting and integrating microelectronics development for direct conversion X-ray imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraft, E.

2008-02-15

A novel signal processing concept for X-ray imaging with directly converting pixelated semiconductor sensors is presented. The novelty of this approach compared to existing concepts is the combination of charge integration and photon counting in every single pixel. Simultaneous operation of both signal processing chains extends the dynamic range beyond the limits of the individual schemes and allows determination of the mean photon energy. Medical applications such as X-ray computed tomography can benefit from this additional spectral information through improved contrast and the ability to determine the hardening of the tube spectrum due to attenuation by the scanned object. A prototype chip in 0.35-micrometer technology has been successfully tested. The pixel electronics are designed using a low-swing differential current mode logic. Key element is a configurable feedback circuit for the charge sensitive amplifier which provides continuous reset, leakage current compensation and replicates the input signal for the integrator. The thesis focusses on the electronic characterization of a second generation prototype chip and gives a detailed discussion of the circuit design. (orig.)

Counting and integrating microelectronics development for direct conversion X-ray imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraft, E.

2008-02-01

A novel signal processing concept for X-ray imaging with directly converting pixelated semiconductor sensors is presented. The novelty of this approach compared to existing concepts is the combination of charge integration and photon counting in every single pixel. Simultaneous operation of both signal processing chains extends the dynamic range beyond the limits of the individual schemes and allows determination of the mean photon energy. Medical applications such as X-ray computed tomography can benefit from this additional spectral information through improved contrast and the ability to determine the hardening of the tube spectrum due to attenuation by the scanned object. A prototype chip in 0.35-micrometer technology has been successfully tested. The pixel electronics are designed using a low-swing differential current mode logic. Key element is a configurable feedback circuit for the charge sensitive amplifier which provides continuous reset, leakage current compensation and replicates the input signal for the integrator. The thesis focusses on the electronic characterization of a second generation prototype chip and gives a detailed discussion of the circuit design. (orig.)

Factor V Leiden is associated with increased sperm count

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Mens, T. E.; Joensen, U. N.; Bochdanovits, Z.; Takizawa, A.; Peter, J.; Jørgensen, N.; Szecsi, P. B.; Meijers, J. C. M.; Weiler, H.; Rajpert-de Meyts, E.; Repping, S.; Middeldorp, S.

2017-01-01

STUDY QUESTION: Is the thrombophilia mutation factor V Leiden (FVL) associated with an increased total sperm count? SUMMARY ANSWER: Carriers of FVL have a higher total sperm count than non-FVL-carriers, which could not be explained by genetic linkage or by observations in a FVL-mouse model. WHAT IS

Internal dosimetry by whole body counting techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.C.

1995-01-01

Over decades, whole body counting and bioassay - the two principal methods of internal dosimetry have been most widely used to assess, limit and control the intakes of radioactive materials and the consequent internal doses by the workers in nuclear industry. This paper deals with the whole body counting techniques. The problems inherent in the interpretation of monitoring data and likely future directions of development in the assessments of internal doses by direct methods are outlined. (author). 14 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

Variations in pollen counts largely explained by climate and weather

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Stephan; Damialis, Athanasios; Estrella, Nicole; Jochner, Susanne; Menzel, Annette

2017-04-01

trap can be used to detect short-, middle- and long-range pollen transport. The pollen trap in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located in the valley below Zugspitze making these two stations suitable for a direct comparison. First results show that the total amount of pollen at Schneefernerhaus for Plantago, Quercus, Poaceae, Cupressaceae, Cyperaceae and Betula is only about 20% in comparison to Garmisch. Furthermore there are daily differences in the pollen counts in yearly sum between morning (24:00 -12:00) and afternoon (12:00- 24:00). This phenomenon might be caused by diurnal climatic variations in the boundary layer as well as local mountain wind systems (changing wind direction from morning to afternoon time). Additionally pollen counts were linked to weather data recorded by the German Meteorological Service and local climate stations. Results indicate that the duration of precipitation events is a major factor of influence concerning the counted pollen. With increasing duration of a rain event pollen counts are decreasing.

Direct analysis of biological samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lue M, Marco P.; Hernandez-Caraballo, Edwin A.

2004-01-01

The technique of total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) is well suited for the direct analysis of biological samples due to the low matrix interferences and simultaneous multi-element nature. Nevertheless, biological organic samples are frequently analysed after digestion procedures. The direct determination of analytes requires shorter analysis time, low reactive consumption and simplifies the whole analysis process. On the other hand, the biological/clinical samples are often available in minimal amounts and routine studies require the analysis of large number of samples. To overcome the difficulties associated with the analysis of organic samples, particularly of solid ones, different procedures of sample preparation and calibration to approach the direct analysis have been evaluated: (1) slurry sampling, (2) Compton peak standardization, (3) in situ microwave digestion, (4) in situ chemical modification and (5) direct analysis with internal standardization. Examples of analytical methods developed by our research group are discussed. Some of them have not been previously published, illustrating alternative strategies for coping with various problems that may be encountered in the direct analysis by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Total, direct, and indirect effects of paan on oral cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Merchant, Anwar T; Pitiphat, Waranuch

2015-03-01

Paan (betel leaf and betel nut quid) used with or without tobacco has been positively associated with oral cancer. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), a precancerous condition caused by paan, lies on the causal pathway between paan use and oral cancer. The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the effect of paan consumption on oral cancer risk when it is mediated by OSMF. We used mediation methods proposed by VanderWeele, which are based on causal inference principles, to characterize the total, direct, and indirect effects of paan, consumed with and without tobacco, on oral cancer mediated by OSMF. We reanalyzed case-control data collected from three hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, between July 1996 and March 1998. For paan without tobacco, the total effect on oral cancer was OR 7.39, 95 % CI 1.01, 38.11, the natural indirect effect (due to OSMF among paan users) was OR 2.48, 95 % CI 0.99, 10.44, and the natural direct effect (due to paan with OSMF absent) was OR 3.32, 95 % CI 0.68, 10.07. For paan with tobacco, the total direct effect was OR 15.68, 95 % CI 3.00, 54.90, the natural indirect effect was OR 2.18, 95 % CI 0.82, 5.52, and the natural direct effect was OR 7.27, 95 % CI 2.15, 20.43. Paan, whether or not it contained tobacco, raised oral cancer risk irrespective of OSMF. Oral cancer risk was higher among those who used paan with tobacco.

Characterization of photon-counting multislit breast tomosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Berggren, Karl; Cederström, Björn; Lundqvist, Mats; Fredenberg, Erik

2018-02-01

It has been shown that breast tomosynthesis may improve sensitivity and specificity compared to two-dimensional mammography, resulting in increased detection-rate of cancers or lowered call-back rates. The purpose of this study is to characterize a spectral photon-counting multislit breast tomosynthesis system that is able to do single-scan spectral imaging with multiple collimated x-ray beams. The system differs in many aspects compared to conventional tomosynthesis using energy-integrating flat-panel detectors. The investigated system was a prototype consisting of a dual-threshold photon-counting detector with 21 collimated line detectors scanning across the compressed breast. A review of the system is done in terms of detector, acquisition geometry, and reconstruction methods. Three reconstruction methods were used, simple back-projection, filtered back-projection and an iterative algebraic reconstruction technique. The image quality was evaluated by measuring the modulation transfer-function (MTF), normalized noise-power spectrum, detective quantum-efficiency (DQE), and artifact spread-function (ASF) on reconstructed spectral tomosynthesis images for a total-energy bin (defined by a low-energy threshold calibrated to remove electronic noise) and for a high-energy bin (with a threshold calibrated to split the spectrum in roughly equal parts). Acquisition was performed using a 29 kVp W/Al x-ray spectrum at a 0.24 mGy exposure. The difference in MTF between the two energy bins was negligible, that is, there was no energy dependence on resolution. The MTF dropped to 50% at 1.5 lp/mm to 2.3 lp/mm in the scan direction and 2.4 lp/mm to 3.3 lp/mm in the slit direction, depending on the reconstruction method. The full width at half maximum of the ASF was found to range from 13.8 mm to 18.0 mm for the different reconstruction methods. The zero-frequency DQE of the system was found to be 0.72. The fraction of counts in the high-energy bin was measured to be 59% of the

Set of counts by scintillations for atmospheric samplings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appriou, D.; Doury, A.

1962-01-01

The author reports the development of a scintillation-based counting assembly with the following characteristics: a photo-multiplier with a wide photo-cathode, a thin plastic scintillator for the counting of beta + alpha (and possibility of mounting an alpha scintillator), a relatively small own motion with respect to activities to be counted, a weakly varying efficiency. The authors discuss the counting objective, present equipment tests (counter, proportional amplifier and pre-amplifier, input drawer). They describe the apparatus operation, discuss the selection of scintillators, report the study of the own movement (electron-based background noise, total background noise, background noise reduction), discuss counts (influence of the external source, sensitivity to alpha radiations, counting homogeneity, minimum detectable activity) and efficiencies

Application of neutron multiplicity counting to waste assay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pickrell, M.M.; Ensslin, N. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Sharpe, T.J. [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

1997-11-01

This paper describes the use of a new figure of merit code that calculates both bias and precision for coincidence and multiplicity counting, and determines the optimum regions for each in waste assay applications. A {open_quotes}tunable multiplicity{close_quotes} approach is developed that uses a combination of coincidence and multiplicity counting to minimize the total assay error. An example is shown where multiplicity analysis is used to solve for mass, alpha, and multiplication and tunable multiplicity is shown to work well. The approach provides a method for selecting coincidence, multiplicity, or tunable multiplicity counting to give the best assay with the lowest total error over a broad spectrum of assay conditions. 9 refs., 6 figs.

Total, Direct, and Indirect Effects in Logit Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karlson, Kristian Bernt; Holm, Anders; Breen, Richard

It has long been believed that the decomposition of the total effect of one variable on another into direct and indirect effects, while feasible in linear models, is not possible in non-linear probability models such as the logit and probit. In this paper we present a new and simple method...... average partial effects, as defined by Wooldridge (2002). We present the method graphically and illustrate it using the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988...

The effect of post-wash total progressive motile sperm count and semen volume on pregnancy outcomes in intrauterine insemination cycles: a retrospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ok, Elvan Koyun; Doğan, Omer Erbil; Okyay, Recep Emre; Gülekli, Bülent

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of post-wash total progressive motile sperm count (TPMSC) and semen volume on pregnancy outcomes in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles. The retrospective study included a total of 156 cycles (141 couples) and was performed in our center over a 24-month period. The semen parameters were recorded for each man and each insemination. The semen samples were re-evaluated after the preparation process. Post-wash TPMSC values were divided into four groups; Group 1: 10×10(6). Post-wash inseminated semen volume was divided into three groups; Group 1: 0.3 mL; Group 2: 0.4 mL; Group 3: 0.5 mL. The effect of post-wash total progressive motile sperm and semen volume on pregnancy outcomes was evaluated. The pregnancy rates per cycle and per couple were 27.56% and 30.49%, respectively. There was not a significant relationship between the inseminated semen volume and pregnancy rate (p>0.05). However, a significant linear-by-linear association was documented between the TPMSC and pregnancy rate (p=0.042). Our findings suggest that the post-wash inseminated semen volume should be between 0.3-0.5 mL. An average post-wash total motile sperm count of 10×10(6) may be a useful threshold value for IUI success, but more studies are needed to determine a cut-off value for TPMSC.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel B Levinson

2014-10-01

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

Effects of Wine by-Products on Growth Performance, Complete Blood Count and Total Antioxidant Status in Broilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SM Pascariu

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the effect of whole grape pomace (GP, grape seed (GS and grape pomace polyphenolic extract (GPEP on growth performance, total antioxidant status (TAS and complete blood count (CBC of 40-day-old chicks (hybrid Cobb 500. A total of 432 unsexed one-day-old chicks were divided into six groups: control (CON and five experimental groups, 10 g/kg GP, 20 g/kg GP, 5 g/kg GS, 10 g/kg GS and 15 mL/L GPEP. The results showed a higher increase in growing rate in 5 g/kg GS group, from the first week of the chicks’ life throughout their growth, the average body weight of the chicks being significantly higher (p0.05 at 40 days of age. As a conclusion, the amount of 5 g/kg seeds, 10 g/kg and 20 g/kg pomace, can be added to the diet of the broilers, the dose of 5 g/kg seeds in the diet offering advantages in growing rate and feed valorization in weight gain.

Estimation of DMFT, Salivary Streptococcus Mutans Count, Flow Rate, Ph, and Salivary Total Calcium Content in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women: A Prospective Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamate, Wasim Ismail; Vibhute, Nupura Aniket; Baad, Rajendra Krishna

2017-04-01

Pregnancy, a period from conception till birth, causes changes in the functioning of the human body as a whole and specifically in the oral cavity that may favour the emergence of dental caries. Many studies have shown pregnant women at increased risk for dental caries, however, specific salivary caries risk factors and the particular period of pregnancy at heightened risk for dental caries are yet to be explored and give a scope of further research in this area. The aim of the present study was to assess the severity of dental caries in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women by evaluating parameters like Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, salivary Streptococcus mutans count, flow rate, pH and total calcium content. A total of 50 first time pregnant women in the first trimester were followed during their second trimester, third trimester and postpartum period for the evaluation of DMFT by World Health Organization (WHO) scoring criteria, salivary flow rate by drooling method, salivary pH by pH meter, salivary total calcium content by bioassay test kit and salivary Streptococcus mutans count by semiautomatic counting of colonies grown on Mitis Salivarius (MS) agar supplemented by 0.2U/ml of bacitracin and 10% sucrose. The observations of pregnant women were then compared with same parameters evaluated in the 50 non-pregnant women. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon sign rank test were performed to assess the association between the study parameters. Evaluation of different caries risk factors between pregnant and non-pregnant women clearly showed that pregnant women were at a higher risk for dental caries. Comparison of caries risk parameters during the three trimesters and postpartum period showed that the salivary Streptococcus mutans count had significantly increased in the second trimester , third trimester and postpartum period while the mean pH and mean salivary total calcium content decreased in the third trimester and postpartum period. These

Estimation of DMFT, Salivary Streptococcus Mutans Count, Flow Rate, Ph, and Salivary Total Calcium Content in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women: A Prospective Study

Science.gov (United States)

Vibhute, Nupura Aniket; Baad, Rajendra Krishna

2017-01-01

Introduction Pregnancy, a period from conception till birth, causes changes in the functioning of the human body as a whole and specifically in the oral cavity that may favour the emergence of dental caries. Many studies have shown pregnant women at increased risk for dental caries, however, specific salivary caries risk factors and the particular period of pregnancy at heightened risk for dental caries are yet to be explored and give a scope of further research in this area. Aim The aim of the present study was to assess the severity of dental caries in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women by evaluating parameters like Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, salivary Streptococcus mutans count, flow rate, pH and total calcium content. Materials and Methods A total of 50 first time pregnant women in the first trimester were followed during their second trimester, third trimester and postpartum period for the evaluation of DMFT by World Health Organization (WHO) scoring criteria, salivary flow rate by drooling method, salivary pH by pH meter, salivary total calcium content by bioassay test kit and salivary Streptococcus mutans count by semiautomatic counting of colonies grown on Mitis Salivarius (MS) agar supplemented by 0.2U/ml of bacitracin and 10% sucrose. The observations of pregnant women were then compared with same parameters evaluated in the 50 non-pregnant women. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon sign rank test were performed to assess the association between the study parameters. Results Evaluation of different caries risk factors between pregnant and non-pregnant women clearly showed that pregnant women were at a higher risk for dental caries. Comparison of caries risk parameters during the three trimesters and postpartum period showed that the salivary Streptococcus mutans count had significantly increased in the second trimester, third trimester and postpartum period while the mean pH and mean salivary total calcium content decreased in the third

Quantification of protein based on single-molecule counting by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy with adsorption equilibrium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lei; Xu Guang; Shi Zhikun; Jiang Wei; Jin Wenrui

2007-01-01

We developed a sensitive single-molecule imaging method for quantification of protein by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy with adsorption equilibrium. In this method, the adsorption equilibrium of protein was achieved between solution and glass substrate. Then, fluorescence images of protein molecules in a evanescent wave field were taken by a highly sensitive electron multiplying charge coupled device. Finally, the number of fluorescent spots corresponding to the protein molecules in the images was counted. Alexa Fluor 488-labeled goat anti-rat IgG(H + L) was chosen as the model protein. The spot number showed an excellent linear relationship with protein concentration. The concentration linear range was 5.4 x 10 -11 to 8.1 x 10 -10 mol L -1

Protecting count queries in study design.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinterbo, Staal A; Sarwate, Anand D; Boxwala, Aziz A

2012-01-01

Today's clinical research institutions provide tools for researchers to query their data warehouses for counts of patients. To protect patient privacy, counts are perturbed before reporting; this compromises their utility for increased privacy. The goal of this study is to extend current query answer systems to guarantee a quantifiable level of privacy and allow users to tailor perturbations to maximize the usefulness according to their needs. A perturbation mechanism was designed in which users are given options with respect to scale and direction of the perturbation. The mechanism translates the true count, user preferences, and a privacy level within administrator-specified bounds into a probability distribution from which the perturbed count is drawn. Users can significantly impact the scale and direction of the count perturbation and can receive more accurate final cohort estimates. Strong and semantically meaningful differential privacy is guaranteed, providing for a unified privacy accounting system that can support role-based trust levels. This study provides an open source web-enabled tool to investigate visually and numerically the interaction between system parameters, including required privacy level and user preference settings. Quantifying privacy allows system administrators to provide users with a privacy budget and to monitor its expenditure, enabling users to control the inevitable loss of utility. While current measures of privacy are conservative, this system can take advantage of future advances in privacy measurement. The system provides new ways of trading off privacy and utility that are not provided in current study design systems.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Total Viable Vibrio spp. in a NW Mediterranean Coastal Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Girard, Léa; Peuchet, Sébastien; Servais, Pierre; Henry, Annabelle; Charni-Ben-Tabassi, Nadine; Baudart, Julia

2017-09-27

A cellular approach combining Direct Viable Counting and Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization using a one-step multiple-probe technique and Solid Phase Cytometry (DVC-FISH-SPC) was developed to monitor total viable vibrios and cover the detection of a large diversity of vibrios. FISH combined three probes in the same assay and targeted sequences located at different positions on the 16S rRNA of Vibrio and Aliivibrio members. We performed a 10-month in situ study to investigate the weekly dynamics of viable vibrios relative to culturable counts at two northwestern Mediterranean coastal sites, and identified the key physicochemical factors for their occurrence in water using a multivariate analysis. Total viable and culturable cell counts showed the same temporal pattern during the warmer season, whereas the ratios between both methods were inverted during the colder seasons (<15°C), indicating that some of the vibrio community had entered into a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. We confirmed that Seawater Surface Temperature explained 51-62% of the total variance in culturable counts, and also showed that the occurrence of viable vibrios is controlled by two variables, pheopigment (15%) and phosphate (12%) concentrations, suggesting that other unidentified factors play a role in maintaining viability.

Determining Gate Count Reliability in a Library Setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Phillips

2016-09-01

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

Theory and application of Cerenkov counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, H.H.

1976-01-01

The production of Cherenkov radiation by charged particles moving through a transparent medium (the Cherenkov generator) is a strictly physical process that is virtually independent of the chemistry of the medium. Thus, it is possible to calculate easily all of the important parameters of the Cherenkov process such as excitation threshold, emission intensity, spectral distribution, directional characteristics, and time response. The results of many of these physical effects are unknown in conventional liquid scintillation spectroscopy and, therefore, many unique assay techniques have been developed as a result of their consideration. This paper discusses the theoretical basis of the Cherenkov process, explores the unusual characteristics of the phenomenon, and demonstrates how these unusual characteristics can be used to develop equally unusual counting methodologies. Particular emphasis is directed toward an analysis of published data (obtained with conventional liquid scintillation instrumentation) that would be difficult or impossible to obtain with other counting techniques. Also discussed is a new type of sample vial that uses an isolated waveshifting system. The device was specifically designed for Cherenkov counting.

Metal ion levels and lymphocyte counts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Penny, Jeannette Ø; Varmarken, Jens-Erik; Ovesen, Ole

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Wear particles from metal-on-metal arthroplasties are under suspicion for adverse effects both locally and systemically, and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System (RHA) has above-average failure rates. We compared lymphocyte counts in RHA and total hip arthroplasty (THA) an....../ppb. INTERPRETATION: Circulating T-lymphocyte levels may decline after surgery, regardless of implant type. Metal ions-particularly cobalt-may have a general depressive effect on T- and B-lymphocyte levels. Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under # NCT01113762.......BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Wear particles from metal-on-metal arthroplasties are under suspicion for adverse effects both locally and systemically, and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System (RHA) has above-average failure rates. We compared lymphocyte counts in RHA and total hip arthroplasty (THA....... RESULTS: The T-lymphocyte counts for both implant types declined over the 2-year period. This decline was statistically significant for CD3(+)CD8(+) in the THA group, with a regression coefficient of -0.04 × 10(9)cells/year (95% CI: -0.08 to -0.01). Regression analysis indicated a depressive effect...

Performance evaluation of portable HPGe with in situ object counting system (ISOCS) in direct thyroid radiobioassay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Min Seok; Kwon, Tae Eun; Pak, Min Jung; Park, Se Young; Ha, Wi Ho; Jin, Young Woo [National Radiation Emergency Medical Center (NREMC), Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

To evaluate the internal radiation dose, various methods are required to identify and quantify radionuclides in human body. Internal contamination monitoring related with the radioiodine is generally performed by direct radiobioassay which used scintillator-based thyroid monitor. Recently, a semiconductor material such as high purity germanium (HPGe) has been used for in vivo radiobioassay. In this study, broad energy germanium (BEGe) which was a kind of HPGe was used for thyroid radiobioassay. BEGe shows good performance in the radiobioassay due to its high energy resolution. In Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS) was the efficiency calibration software developed by Canberra Industries. The efficiency calibration with this system was performed by the Monte Carlo method. It was useful method as alternative method of conventional calibration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of measuring radioiodine by means of ISOCS which is equipped with the portable HPG(Falcon 5000, Canberra Industries) in direct thyroid radiobioassay. The ISOCS software ensured compliance with the performance criteria in the radioiodine measurement. These results of participating in intercomparison program indicated the feasibility of applying ISOCS software to direct thyroid radiobioassay with more convenient procedure.

Subsurface microbial ecology. Epi fluorescence direct counts; Ecologia microbica del sottosuolo: metodo di conta diretta in epifluorescenza

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barra Caracciolo, A.; Silvestri, C.; Creo, C.; Izzo, G. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dipt. Ambiente

1998-07-01

To the aim of recognize the importance of microorganisms in affecting or even determining the fate of xenobiotics in the subsurface environment evaluating bacteria concentration in a subsurface ecosystem, the report discusses a soil sample treatment method which has been developed for epi fluorescence direct counting with DAPI. [Italian] Lo studio discute un metodo di trattamento del campione per la conta diretta in epifluorescenza con un marcatore selettivo per il DNA, il DAPI, al fine di quantificare la concentrazione batterica del sottosuolo e studiare il ruolo dei microrganismi nella biodegradazione delle molecole esogene, ancora poco indagato.

The detection of irradiated foods using the Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betts, R.P.; Bankes, P.; Stringer, M.F.; Farr, L.

1988-01-01

A method was evaluated which has the potential to detect a food sample which has been irradiated. The technique will give an indication of the total number of viable micro-organisms present before irradiation. It is based on the comparison of an aerobic plate count (APC) with a count obtained using the Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique (DEFT). When the APC of an irradiated sample was compared with the DEFT count on the same sample, the APC was considerably lower than that obtained by DEFT. The count of orange fluorescing cells after irradiation, however, correlated well with an APC of the same sample before irradiation. For the samples examined the DEFT count determined the viable microbial population in the sample before irradiation. The difference between the APC and the DEFT count gave the number of organisms rendered non-viable by the process. (author)

Photon counting and fluctuation of molecular movement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inohara, Koichi

1978-01-01

The direct measurement of the fluctuation of molecular motions, which provides with useful information on the molecular movement, was conducted by introducing photon counting method. The utilization of photon counting makes it possible to treat the molecular system consisting of a small number of molecules like a radioisotope in the detection of a small number of atoms, which are significant in biological systems. This method is based on counting the number of photons of the definite polarization emitted in a definite time interval from the fluorescent molecules excited by pulsed light, which are bound to the marked large molecules found in a definite spatial region. Using the probability of finding a number of molecules oriented in a definite direction in the definite spatial region, the probability of counting a number of photons in a definite time interval can be calculated. Thus the measurable count rate of photons can be related with the fluctuation of molecular movement. The measurement was carried out under the condition, in which the probability of the simultaneous arrival of more than two photons at a detector is less than 1/100. As the experimental results, the resolving power of photon-counting apparatus, the frequency distribution of the number of photons of some definite polarization counted for 1 nanosecond are shown. In the solution, the variance of the number of molecules of 500 on the average is 1200, which was estimated from the experimental data by assuming normal distribution. This departure from the Poisson distribution means that a certain correlation does exist in molecular movement. In solid solution, no significant deviation was observed. The correlation existing in molecular movement can be expressed in terms of the fluctuation of the number of molecules. (Nakai, Y.)

Temporal trends in sperm count

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levine, Hagai; Jørgensen, Niels; Martino-Andrade, Anderson

2017-01-01

a predefined protocol 7518 abstracts were screened and 2510 full articles reporting primary data on SC were reviewed. A total of 244 estimates of SC and TSC from 185 studies of 42 935 men who provided semen samples in 1973-2011 were extracted for meta-regression analysis, as well as information on years.......006, respectively). WIDER IMPLICATIONS: This comprehensive meta-regression analysis reports a significant decline in sperm counts (as measured by SC and TSC) between 1973 and 2011, driven by a 50-60% decline among men unselected by fertility from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Because......BACKGROUND: Reported declines in sperm counts remain controversial today and recent trends are unknown. A definitive meta-analysis is critical given the predictive value of sperm count for fertility, morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: To provide a systematic review and meta-regression...

Near-term Forecasting of Solar Total and Direct Irradiance for Solar Energy Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Long, C. N.; Riihimaki, L. D.; Berg, L. K.

2012-12-01

Integration of solar renewable energy into the power grid, like wind energy, is hindered by the variable nature of the solar resource. One challenge of the integration problem for shorter time periods is the phenomenon of "ramping events" where the electrical output of the solar power system increases or decreases significantly and rapidly over periods of minutes or less. Advance warning, of even just a few minutes, allows power system operators to compensate for the ramping. However, the ability for short-term prediction on such local "point" scales is beyond the abilities of typical model-based weather forecasting. Use of surface-based solar radiation measurements has been recognized as a likely solution for providing input for near-term (5 to 30 minute) forecasts of solar energy availability and variability. However, it must be noted that while fixed-orientation photovoltaic panel systems use the total (global) downwelling solar radiation, tracking photovoltaic and solar concentrator systems use only the direct normal component of the solar radiation. Thus even accurate near-term forecasts of total solar radiation will under many circumstances include inherent inaccuracies with respect to tracking systems due to lack of information of the direct component of the solar radiation. We will present examples and statistical analyses of solar radiation partitioning showing the differences in the behavior of the total/direct radiation with respect to the near-term forecast issue. We will present an overview of the possibility of using a network of unique new commercially available total/diffuse radiometers in conjunction with a near-real-time adaptation of the Shortwave Radiative Flux Analysis methodology (Long and Ackerman, 2000; Long et al., 2006). The results are used, in conjunction with persistence and tendency forecast techniques, to provide more accurate near-term forecasts of cloudiness, and both total and direct normal solar irradiance availability and

Self-oscillating modulators for direct energy conversion audio power amplifiers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ljusev, Petar; Andersen, Michael Andreas E.

2005-01-01

Direct energy conversion audio power amplifier represents total integration of switching-mode power supply and Class D audio power amplifier into one compact stage, achieving high efficiency, high level of integration, low component count and eventually low cost. This paper presents how self-oscillating...

Enhanced counting efficiency of Cerenkov radiation from bismuth-210

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peck, G.A.; Smith, J.D.

1998-01-01

This paper describes the measurement of 210 Bi by Cerenkov counting in a commercial liquid scintillation counter. The counting efficiency in water is 0.17 counts per second per Becquerel (17%). When the enhancers Triton X-100 (15% v/v) and sodium salicylate (1% m/v) are added to the solution the counting efficiency for 210 Bi increases from 17% to 75%. The 210 Po daughter of 210 Bi causes interference of 0.85 counts per second per Becquerel in the presence of the enhancers but not in water. When 210 Bi and 210 Po are present in secular equilibrium the total counting efficiency is 160%. When 210 Bi and 210 Po are not in secular equilibrium the 210 Po can be removed immediately before counting by plating onto silver foil. The use of the enhancers gives a substantial increase in counting efficiency compared to counting in water. Compared with solutions used in liquid scintillation counting the enhancer solution is inexpensive and can be disposed of without environmental hazard. (author)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartley, B.M.

1994-01-01

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

Mothers of Obese Children Use More Direct Imperatives to Restrict Eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesch, Megan H; Miller, Alison L; Appugliese, Danielle P; Rosenblum, Katherine L; Lumeng, Julie C

2018-04-01

To examine the association of mother and child characteristics with use of direct imperatives to restrict eating. A total of 237 mother-child dyads (mean child age, 70.9 months) participated in a video-recorded, laboratory-standardized eating protocol with 2 large portions of cupcakes. Videos were reliably coded for counts of maternal direct imperatives to restrict children's eating. Anthropometrics were measured. Regression models tested the association of participant characteristics with counts of direct imperatives. Child obese weight status and maternal white non-Hispanic race/ethnicity were associated with greater levels of direct imperatives to restrict eating (p = .0001 and .0004, respectively). Mothers of obese children may be using more direct imperatives to restrict eating so as to achieve behavioral compliance to decrease their child's food intake. Future work should consider the effects direct imperatives have on children's short- and long-term eating behaviors and weight gain trajectories. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation of reduction in background counts of clover detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kshetri, Ritesh

2015-01-01

The peak-to-total ratio can be improved by increasing the full energy peak (FEP) counts and/or by decreasing the background counts. It is notable that FEP counts will be effected by mode of operation, while background counts will be effected by both modes of operation and suppression cases. It would be interesting to know if the reduction in background is caused more by active suppression or by add back process. We introduce a simple formalism to investigate the reduction of background counts for different cases-single crystal or add back mode with active or passive suppression. A more sophisticated formalism for modeling a general composite detector had been presented in a series of six recent papers by the author

BMI in relation to sperm count

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sermondade, N; Faure, C; Fezeu, L

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND The global obesity epidemic has paralleled a decrease in semen quality. Yet, the association between obesity and sperm parameters remains controversial. The purpose of this report was to update the evidence on the association between BMI and sperm count through a systematic review...... with meta-analysis. METHODS A systematic review of available literature (with no language restriction) was performed to investigate the impact of BMI on sperm count. Relevant studies published until June 2012 were identified from a Pubmed and EMBASE search. We also included unpublished data (n = 717 men...... studies were included in the meta-analysis, resulting in a sample of 13 077 men from the general population and attending fertility clinics. Data were stratified according to the total sperm count as normozoospermia, oligozoospermia and azoospermia. Standardized weighted mean differences in sperm...

Fluorescent Biosensors Based on Single-Molecule Counting.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-09-20

fluorescence signals by specific in vitro/in vivo fluorescent labeling, and consequently, the fluorescent molecules indicate the presence of target molecules. The resultant fluorescence signals may be simply counted by either microfluidic device-integrated confocal microscopy or total internal reflection fluorescence-based single-molecule imaging. We have developed a series of single-molecule counting-based biosensors which can be classified as separation-free and separation-assisted assays. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate the applications of single-molecule counting-based biosensors for sensitive detection of various target biomolecules such as DNAs, miRNAs, proteins, enzymes, and intact cells, which may function as the disease-related biomarkers. Moreover, we give a summary of future directions to expand the usability of single-molecule counting-based biosensors including (1) the development of more user-friendly and automated instruments, (2) the discovery of new fluorescent labels and labeling strategies, and (3) the introduction of new concepts for the design of novel biosensors. Due to their high sensitivity, good selectivity, rapidity, and simplicity, we believe that the single-molecule counting-based fluorescent biosensors will indubitably find wide applications in biological research, clinical diagnostics, and drug discovery.

Studies on the Pulse Rate, Pedometer Count and Satisfactoin Degree at Various Exercise

OpenAIRE

小原, 史朗

2004-01-01

This investigation examined whether free exercise of students became good stimulation of breathing circulation function from relation of pulse rate and pedometer count. And, I examined it on satisfaction degree after exercise. Object person was 432 man students (total of 1391) and 94 woman students (total of 472). As for relation of pulse rate and pedometer count, statistical meaning was recognized by man and women. The exercise that a pulse rate and pedometer count were high together seemed ...

CD4 T lymphocyte counts in patients undergoing splenectomy during living donor liver transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Natsuda, Koji; Eguchi, Susumu; Takatsuki, Mistuhisa; Soyama, Akihiko; Hidaka, Masaaki; Hara, Takanobu; Kugiyama, Tota; Baimakhanov, Zhassulan; Ono, Shinichiro; Kitasato, Amane; Fujita, Fumihiko; Kanetaka, Kengo; Kuroki, Tamotsu

2016-02-01

The role of splenectomy in increasing the CD4-positive T lymphocyte counts (hereafter: CD4 counts) and the CD4 to CD8 ratio have not yet been fully investigated, especially in the case of HIV-positive patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT). The change in the total lymphocyte counts of 32 patients who underwent one-stage splenectomy with living donor (LD) LT with (n=13) or without rituximab (RTX, n=19) therapy were examined to validate our cohort of ABO-incompatible LDLT with RTX. Subsequently, perioperative changes in CD4 counts and the CD 4 to CD8 ratio were measured in 13 patients who underwent ABO-incompatible LDLT/RTX with splenectomy. (1) The administration of RTX did not significantly affect the total lymphocyte counts of patients after LDLT/splenectomy in any of the observation periods. (2) The CD4 counts were significantly higher at 2years after LDLT in comparison to the perioperative CD4 counts but not within the 3-month period (p=0.039). The CD4/CD8 ratio gradually decreased after LDLT/splenectomy under RTX treatment. An immediate increase in the CD4 counts therefore cannot be expected after LDLT with splenectomy. The total lymphocyte and CD4 counts were rather stable in the peritransplant period even in ABO incompatible LDLT with RTX. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Somatic cell counts in bulk milk and their importance for milk processing

Science.gov (United States)

Savić, N. R.; Mikulec, D. P.; Radovanović, R. S.

2017-09-01

Bulk tank milk somatic cell counts are the indicator of the mammary gland health in the dairy herds and may be regarded as an indirect measure of milk quality. Elevated somatic cell counts are correlated with changes in milk composition The aim of this study was to assess the somatic cell counts that significantly affect the quality of milk and dairy products. We examined the somatic cell counts in bulk tank milk samples from 38 farms during the period of 6 months, from December to the May of the next year. The flow cytometry, Fossomatic was used for determination of somatic cell counts. In the same samples content of total proteins and lactose was determined by Milcoscan. Our results showed that average values for bulk tank milk samples were 273,605/ml from morning milking and 292,895/ml from evening milking. The average values for total proteins content from morning and evening milking are 3,31 and 3,34%, respectively. The average values for lactose content from morning and evening milking are 4,56 and 4,63%, respectively. The highest somatic cell count (516,000/ml) was detected in bulk tank milk sample from evening milk in the Winter and the lowest content of lactose was 4,46%. Our results showed that obtained values for bulk tank milk somatic cell counts did not significantly affected the content of total proteins and lactose.

Direct and indirect measurement of somatic cell count as indicator of intramammary infection in dairy goats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olofsson Ida

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mastitis is the most important and costly disease in dairy goat production. Subclinical mastitis is common in goats and is mainly caused by contagious bacteria. Several methods to diagnose subclinical mastitis are available. In this study indirect measurement of somatic cell count (SCC by California Mastitis Test (CMT and direct measurement of SCC using a portable deLaval cell counter (DCC are evaluated. Swedish goat farmers would primarily benefit from diagnostic methods that can be used at the farm. The purpose of the study was to evaluate SCC measured by CMT and DCC as possible markers for intramammary infection (IMI in goats without clinical symptoms of mastitis. Moreover to see how well indirect measurement of SCC (CMT corresponded to direct measurement of SCC (DCC. Method Udder half milk samples were collected once from dairy goats (n = 111, in five different farms in Northern and Central Sweden. Only clinically healthy animals were included in the study. All goats were in mid to late lactation at sampling. Milk samples were analyzed for SCC by CMT and DCC at the farm, and for bacterial growth at the laboratory. Results Intramammary infection, defined as growth of udder pathogens, was found in 39 (18% of the milk samples. No growth was found in 180 (81% samples while 3 (1% samples were contaminated. The most frequently isolated bacterial species was coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS (72% of all isolates, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (23% of all isolates. Somatic cell count measured by DCC was strongly (p = 0.000 associated with bacterial growth. There was also a very strong association between CMT and bacterial growth. CMT 1 was associated with freedom of IMI while CMT ≥2 was associated with IMI. Indirect measurement of SCC by CMT was well correlated with SCC measured by DCC. Conclusions According to the results, SCC measured with CMT or DCC can predict udder infection in goats, and CMT can be used as a

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

Science.gov (United States)

Steadman, Roger; Herrmann, Christoph; Livne, Amir

2017-08-01

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

Evaluation of misplaced event count rate using a scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagimoto, Shin-ichi; Tomomitsu, Tatsushi; Muranaka, Akira

1985-01-01

Misplaced event count rates were evaluated using an acryl scatter body of various thickness and a gamma camera. The count rate in the region of interest (ROI) within the camera view field, which was thought to represent part of the misplaced event count rate, increased as the thickness of the scatter body was increased to 5 cm, followed by a steep decline in the count rate. On the other hand, the ratio of the count rate in the ROI to the total count rate continuously increased as the thickness of the scatter body was increased. As the thickness of the scatter body was increased, the count rates increased, and the increments of increase were greater in the lower energy region of the photopeak than in the higher energy region. In ranges energy other than the photopeak, the influence of the scatter body on the count rate in the ROI was the greatest at 76 keV, which was the lowest energy we examined. (author)

A Novel Scheme to Minimize Hop Count for GAF in Wireless Sensor Networks: Two-Level GAF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaibhav Soni

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In wireless sensor networks, geographic adaptive fidelity (GAF is one of the most popular energy-aware routing protocols. It conserves energy by identifying equivalence between sensors from a routing perspective and then turning off unnecessary sensors, while maintaining the connectivity of the network. Nevertheless, the traditional GAF still cannot reach the optimum energy usage since it needs more number of hops to transmit data packets to the sink. As a result, it also leads to higher packet delay. In this paper, we propose a modified version of GAF to minimize hop count for data routing, called two-level GAF (T-GAF. Furthermore, we use a generalized version of GAF called Diagonal-GAF (DGAF where two diagonal adjacent grids can also directly communicate. It has an advantage of less overhead of coordinator election based on the residual energy of sensors. Analysis and simulation results show significant improvements of the proposed work comparing to traditional GAF in the aspect of total hop count, energy consumption, total distance covered by the data packet before reaching the sink, and packet delay. As a result, compared to traditional GAF, it needs 40% to 47% less hop count and consumes 27% to 35% less energy to extend the network lifetime.

Serum albumin and total lymphocyte count as predictors of outcome in hip fractures.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Daly, Brendan J

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hip fractures are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the elderly. Malnutrition is a significant contributor to this, however no consensus exists as to the detection or management of this condition. We hypothesise that results of admission serum albumin and total lymphocyte count (TLC), as markers of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) can help predict clinical outcome in hip fracture patients aged over 60 years. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated the nutritional status of patients with hip fractures using albumin and TLC assays and analysed their prognostic relevance. Clinical outcome parameters studied were delay to operation, duration of in-patient stay, re-admission and in-patient, 3- and 12-month mortality. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifteen hip fracture patients were evaluated. Survival data were available for 377 patients at 12 months. In-hospital mortality for PEM patients was 9.8%, compared with 0% for patients without. Patients with PEM had a higher 12-month mortality compared to patients who had normal values of both laboratory parameters (Odds Ratio 4.6; 95% CI: 1.0-21.3). Serum albumin (Hazard Ratio 0.932, 95% CI: 0.9-1.0) and age (Hazard Ratio 1.04, 95% CI: 1.0-1.1) were found to be significant independent prognostic factors of mortality by Cox regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the relevance of assessing the nutritional status of patients with hip fractures at the time of admission and emphasises the correlation between PEM and outcome in these patients.

Liquid scintillation: Sample preparation and counting atypical emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

Liquid scintillation sample preparation has the most published information but the least amount of definitive technical direction because the chemical and physical nature of the samples from biological investigations varies widely. This chapter discusses the following related topics: Aqueous Samples; Tissue Solubilizers; Absorption of 14 CO 2 ; Sample Combustion Methods; Heterogeneous Systems; Sample Preparation Problems (colored samples, chemiluminescence, photoluminescence, static electricity); Counting Various Types of Emitters; Counting Atypical Emissions. 2 refs., 2 figs

Lower white blood cell counts in elite athletes training for highly aerobic sports.

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, P L; Pyne, D B; Hopkins, W G; Barnes, C J

2010-11-01

White cell counts at rest might be lower in athletes participating in selected endurance-type sports. Here, we analysed blood tests of elite athletes collected over a 10-year period. Reference ranges were established for 14 female and 14 male sports involving 3,679 samples from 937 females and 4,654 samples from 1,310 males. Total white blood cell counts and counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes were quantified. Each sport was scaled (1-5) for its perceived metabolic stress (aerobic-anaerobic) and mechanical stress (concentric-eccentric) by 13 sports physiologists. Substantially lower total white cell and neutrophil counts were observed in aerobic sports of cycling and triathlon (~16% of test results below the normal reference range) compared with team or skill-based sports such as water polo, cricket and volleyball. Mechanical stress of sports had less effect on the distribution of cell counts. The lower white cell counts in athletes in aerobic sports probably represent an adaptive response, not underlying pathology.

Effect of hepatitis C treatment on CD4+ T-cell counts and the risk of death in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peters, Lars

2012-01-01

treatment. RESULTS: In total, 780/6,433 (12%) HIV-HCV-coinfected patients initiated HCV treatment (interferon [IFN] and ribavirin n=692, IFN alone n=88). CD4(+) T-cell counts decreased during the first 12 weeks of treatment (P... for comparing HCV-treated with -untreated individuals was 0.72 (95% CI 0.43, 1.21). The estimated hazard ratio for liver-related death was 0.57 (95% CI 0.21, 1.55). CONCLUSIONS: Despite its effect in reducing CD4(+) T-cell counts, the effect of HCV treatment on mortality was in the direction of benefit and our...

Standardization of Ga-68 by coincidence measurements, liquid scintillation counting and 4πγ counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roteta, Miguel; Peyres, Virginia; Rodríguez Barquero, Leonor; García-Toraño, Eduardo; Arenillas, Pablo; Balpardo, Christian; Rodrígues, Darío; Llovera, Roberto

2012-01-01

The radionuclide 68 Ga is one of the few positron emitters that can be prepared in-house without the use of a cyclotron. It disintegrates to the ground state of 68 Zn partially by positron emission (89.1%) with a maximum energy of 1899.1 keV, and partially by electron capture (10.9%). This nuclide has been standardized in the frame of a cooperation project between the Radionuclide Metrology laboratories from CIEMAT (Spain) and CNEA (Argentina). Measurements involved several techniques: 4πβ−γ coincidences, integral gamma counting and Liquid Scintillation Counting using the triple to double coincidence ratio and the CIEMAT/NIST methods. Given the short half-life of the radionuclide assayed, a direct comparison between results from both laboratories was excluded and a comparison of experimental efficiencies of similar NaI detectors was used instead. - Highlights: ► We standardized the positron emitter Ga-68 in a bilateral cooperation. ► We used several techniques, as coincidence, integral gamma and liquid scintillation. ► An efficiency comparison replaced a direct comparison of reference materials.

Automatic, time-interval traffic counts for recreation area management planning

Science.gov (United States)

D. L. Erickson; C. J. Liu; H. K. Cordell

1980-01-01

Automatic, time-interval recorders were used to count directional vehicular traffic on a multiple entry/exit road network in the Red River Gorge Geological Area, Daniel Boone National Forest. Hourly counts of entering and exiting traffic differed according to recorder location, but an aggregated distribution showed a delayed peak in exiting traffic thought to be...

Compton suppression gamma-counting: The effect of count rate

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, H.T.

1984-01-01

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

EcoCount

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillip P. Allen

2014-05-01

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

RBC count

Science.gov (United States)

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

Direct and correlated responses to selection for total weight of lamb ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Unknown

productivity and that each of these components can be used as a selection criterion, as each has a direct impact on total ewe ... of lamb weaned per ewe joined is more efficient than selection for number of lambs born, number of lambs weaned or weaning ... The estimated grazing capacity is 5.5 ha per small stock unit.

Recuento de bacterias totales en leche cruda de tambos que caracterizan la zona noroeste de Santa Fe y sur de Santiago del Estero Total bacterial count in raw milk of dairy farms that characterize the northwest zone of Santa Fe and south of Santiago del Estero

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.R. Revelli

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Un total de 6.998 muestras de leche cruda de pool de tanque, correspondientes a 55 establecimientos lecheros asociados a la Cooperativa Tambera Nueva Alpina Ltda., fueron recolectadas entre los años 1993 y 2002. Se realizó el Recuento de Microorganismos Aerobios Mesófilos Totales, obteniéndose como resultado un valor medio de 1,2 x 105± 2,4 x 105UFC/ml que caracteriza la zona. El año de finalización de la experiencia, se observó un 97% de los tambos evaluados con promedios £ 1,0 x 105UFC/ml. Solamente un 3% sobrepasa este límite, no encontrándose establecimientos con niveles superiores a 1,5 x 105UFC/ml. Al relacionar este indicador con parámetros composicionales, las correlaciones más significativas resultaron para: Recuento de Bacterias Totales vs Acidez (r = 0,292; P A total of 6.998 raw milk samples of bulk tank, belonging to 55 dairy farms associated to the Cooperativa Tambera Nueva Alpina Ltda., were collected between the years 1993 and 2002. The Total Mesophilic Aerobic Microorganisms Count was analyzed, obtaining a medium value of 1.2 x 105± 2.4 x 105CFU/ml that characterizes the zone. The final year of experience, observed a 97% of dairy farms evaluated with averages £ 1,0 x 105CFU/ml. Only a 3% it surpasses this limit, not being found establishments with levels over 1.5 x 105CFU/ml. Relating this indicators with compositionals parameters, the most significant correlation resulted for: Total Bacterial Count vs Acidity (r = 0.292; P < 0.001 and Total Bacterial Count vs Freezing Point (r = 0.157; P < 0.001. The microbiological quality in raw milk of dairy farms belonging to the northwest zone of Santa Fe and south of Santiago del Estero showed a significant improvement during this time.

Fitting a distribution to miccrobial counts: making sense of zeros

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

and standard deviation) and the prevalence of contaminated food units (one minus the proportion of “true zeros”) from a set of microbial counts. By running the model with in silico generated concentration and count data, we could evaluate the performance of this method in terms of estimation of the three......Non-detects or left-censored results are inherent to the traditional methods of microbial enumeration in foods. Typically, a low concentration of microorganisms in a food unit goes undetected in plate counts or most probable number (MPN) counts, and produces “artificial zeros”. However......, these “artificial zeros” are only a share of the total number of zero counts resulting from a sample, as their number adds up to the number of “true zeros” resulting from uncontaminated units. In the process of fitting a probability distribution to microbial counts, “artificial” and “true” zeros are usually...

Limit of sensitivity of low-background counting equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homann, S.G.

1991-01-01

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

Comment on: 'A Poisson resampling method for simulating reduced counts in nuclear medicine images'.

Science.gov (United States)

de Nijs, Robin

2015-07-21

In order to be able to calculate half-count images from already acquired data, White and Lawson published their method based on Poisson resampling. They verified their method experimentally by measurements with a Co-57 flood source. In this comment their results are reproduced and confirmed by a direct numerical simulation in Matlab. Not only Poisson resampling, but also two direct redrawing methods were investigated. Redrawing methods were based on a Poisson and a Gaussian distribution. Mean, standard deviation, skewness and excess kurtosis half-count/full-count ratios were determined for all methods, and compared to the theoretical values for a Poisson distribution. Statistical parameters showed the same behavior as in the original note and showed the superiority of the Poisson resampling method. Rounding off before saving of the half count image had a severe impact on counting statistics for counts below 100. Only Poisson resampling was not affected by this, while Gaussian redrawing was less affected by it than Poisson redrawing. Poisson resampling is the method of choice, when simulating half-count (or less) images from full-count images. It simulates correctly the statistical properties, also in the case of rounding off of the images.

Near infrared system coupled chemometric algorithms for enumeration of total fungi count in cocoa beans neat solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutsanedzie, Felix Y H; Chen, Quansheng; Hassan, Md Mehedi; Yang, Mingxiu; Sun, Hao; Rahman, Md Hafizur

2018-02-01

Total fungi count (TFC) is a quality indicator of cocoa beans when unmonitored leads to quality and safety problems. Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) combined with chemometric algorithms like partial least square (PLS); synergy interval-PLS (Si-PLS); synergy interval-genetic algorithm-PLS (Si-GAPLS); Ant colony optimization - PLS (ACO-PLS) and competitive-adaptive reweighted sampling-PLS (CARS-PLS) was employed to predict TFC in cocoa beans neat solution. Model results were evaluated using the correlation coefficients of the prediction (Rp) and calibration (Rc); root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), and the ratio of sample standard deviation to RMSEP (RPD). The developed models performance yielded 0.951≤Rp≤0.975; and 3.15≤RPD≤4.32. The models' prediction stability improved in the order of PLS

TOTAL HEMOCYTE COUNT AND HEMOLYMPH GLUCOSE CONCENRATION RESPONSE OF SPINY LOBSTER Panulirus homarus ON RATIO OF SHELTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suhaiba Djai

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This research was conducted to assess the physiological response of the lobster Panulirus homarus for the ratio of the shelters. The method used completely randomized design with two replicates of each treatments with shelter ratio (A 1 : 5, (B 3 : 5, (C 4 : 5, (D 5 : 5. Weight average for 184 lobsters with the stocking density of 23 lobsters for each treatment was 32.64 ± 0.58 g. The experiment was conducted for 60 days. The lobster was fed with trash fish and acclimatized for 7 days before the experiment. Observations on the physiologycal of every 10 days. The physiological responses that observed were total hemocyte count (THC and hemolymph glucose concentration. The results showed that 4:5 was the best lobster shelter ratio because it could reduce stress levels. This is indicated by the stable values of THC and hemolymph glucose level during the experiment and supported by the growth of 57.28 ± 0.15 g and survival rate of 91.31 ± 2.60%. Keywords: lobster, Panulirus homarus, ratio, shelter, THC, glucose

Reproductive function in mice exposed to ancestral and direct irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nash, D.J.; Sprackling, L.S.

1978-01-01

Reproduction was studied in 13 inbred strains of mice that had been exposed continuously to 60 Co gamma radiation for varying numbers of generations. At weaning the mice were removed from the irradiation chamber and were tested for reproductive performance. Ancestral and direct levels of irradiation were determined for each animal. Each irradiated or control female was scored as fertile or sterile, and in utero litter counts were made in pregnant females that were dissected past the 10th day of pregnancy. The number of resorptions, dead embryos, and live embryos were counted, and the ratio of living embryos to the total number of embryos was determined for each litter. The overall fertility curves were sigmoid in the range of doses below those which caused complete sterility, which indicated some sort of cumulative damage. In 11 of the 13 strains studied, an increase in ancestral and/or direct irradiation led to significant decreases in fertility. The means of the number alive in the litters for the control and irradiated mice in each strain showed a definite trend toward fewer live mice in utero after irradiation. Least-squares analyses of variance were made to detect possible effects of any of six irradiation variables (ancestral linear, ancestral quadratic, ancestral cubic, direct linear, direct quadratic, or direct cubic) or of strain differences on total litter size and on ratio. Strain effects were significant in each instance. Litter size was more likely to be affected by radiation variables than ratios were

Comment on: 'A Poisson resampling method for simulating reduced counts in nuclear medicine images'

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Nijs, Robin

2015-01-01

In order to be able to calculate half-count images from already acquired data, White and Lawson published their method based on Poisson resampling. They verified their method experimentally by measurements with a Co-57 flood source. In this comment their results are reproduced and confirmed...... by a direct numerical simulation in Matlab. Not only Poisson resampling, but also two direct redrawing methods were investigated. Redrawing methods were based on a Poisson and a Gaussian distribution. Mean, standard deviation, skewness and excess kurtosis half-count/full-count ratios were determined for all...... methods, and compared to the theoretical values for a Poisson distribution. Statistical parameters showed the same behavior as in the original note and showed the superiority of the Poisson resampling method. Rounding off before saving of the half count image had a severe impact on counting statistics...

Nutritional status, quality of life and CD4 cell count of adults living ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Keywords: CD4 cell count; Quality of Life; adults; nutritional status; nutritional intake. Nutritional status .... used to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI was ... fat consumption as a percentage of the total food energy intake, and component ..... except when the CD4 counts fall very low.5,27 The CD4 cell count may offer a ...

Electronic alarm device for radioactivity detector associated with a direct current amplifier or with a integration-based counting assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desmaretz, Marc; Ferlicot, Rene

1964-04-01

The authors report the study of a device aimed at triggering sound and light alarms when a radiation detector associated with a direct current amplifier or with a counting assembly detects a radiation intensity greater than one or two previously defined thresholds. This device can be used at any time for a detection assembly which is not continuously monitored. It has been designed to be adapted to the CEA standard electronics currently used in installations and on which the alarm function had not been initially foreseen. The assembly comprises an additional safety device for the control of any untimely shutdown of the detection chain [fr

Evaluating remotely sensed plant count accuracy with differing unmanned aircraft system altitudes, physical canopy separations, and ground covers

Science.gov (United States)

Leiva, Josue Nahun; Robbins, James; Saraswat, Dharmendra; She, Ying; Ehsani, Reza

2017-07-01

This study evaluated the effect of flight altitude and canopy separation of container-grown Fire Chief™ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis L.) on counting accuracy. Images were taken at 6, 12, and 22 m above the ground using unmanned aircraft systems. Plants were spaced to achieve three canopy separation treatments: 5 cm between canopy edges, canopy edges touching, and 5 cm of canopy edge overlap. Plants were placed on two different ground covers: black fabric and gravel. A counting algorithm was trained using Feature Analyst®. Total counting error, false positives, and unidentified plants were reported for images analyzed. In general, total counting error was smaller when plants were fully separated. The effect of ground cover on counting accuracy varied with the counting algorithm. Total counting error for plants placed on gravel (-8) was larger than for those on a black fabric (-2), however, false positive counts were similar for black fabric (6) and gravel (6). Nevertheless, output images of plants placed on gravel did not show a negative effect due to the ground cover but was impacted by differences in image spatial resolution.

Predictive models for the effect of storage temperature on Vibrio parahaemolyticus viability and counts of total viable bacteria in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas).

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Piquer, Judith; Bowman, John P; Ross, Tom; Tamplin, Mark L

2011-12-01

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an indigenous bacterium of marine environments. It accumulates in oysters and may reach levels that cause human illness when postharvest temperatures are not properly controlled and oysters are consumed raw or undercooked. Predictive models were produced by injecting Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) with a cocktail of V. parahaemolyticus strains, measuring viability rates at storage temperatures from 3.6 to 30.4°C, and fitting the data to a model to obtain parameter estimates. The models were evaluated with Pacific and Sydney Rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) containing natural populations of V. parahaemolyticus. V. parahaemolyticus viability was measured by direct plating samples on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar for injected oysters and by most probable number (MPN)-PCR for oysters containing natural populations. In parallel, total viable bacterial counts (TVC) were measured by direct plating on marine agar. Growth/inactivation rates for V. parahaemolyticus were -0.006, -0.004, -0.005, -0.003, 0.030, 0.075, 0.095, and 0.282 log₁₀ CFU/h at 3.6, 6.2, 9.6, 12.6, 18.4, 20.0, 25.7, and 30.4°C, respectively. The growth rates for TVC were 0.015, 0.023, 0.016, 0.048, 0.055, 0.071, 0.133, and 0.135 log₁₀ CFU/h at 3.6, 6.2, 9.3, 14.9, 18.4, 20.0, 25.7, and 30.4°C, respectively. Square root and Arrhenius-type secondary models were generated for V. parahaemolyticus growth and inactivation kinetic data, respectively. A square root model was produced for TVC growth. Evaluation studies showed that predictive growth for V. parahaemolyticus and TVC were "fail safe." The models can assist oyster companies and regulators in implementing management strategies to minimize V. parahaemolyticus risk and enhancing product quality in supply chains.

Counting statistics in low level radioactivity measurements fluctuating counting efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazdur, M.F.

1976-01-01

A divergence between the probability distribution of the number of nuclear disintegrations and the number of observed counts, caused by counting efficiency fluctuation, is discussed. The negative binominal distribution is proposed to describe the probability distribution of the number of counts, instead of Poisson distribution, which is assumed to hold for the number of nuclear disintegrations only. From actual measurements the r.m.s. amplitude of counting efficiency fluctuation is estimated. Some consequences of counting efficiency fluctuation are investigated and the corresponding formulae are derived: (1) for detection limit as a function of the number of partial measurements and the relative amplitude of counting efficiency fluctuation, and (2) for optimum allocation of the number of partial measurements between sample and background. (author)

Relationship of milking rate to somatic cell count.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, C A; Rischette, S J; Schultz, L H

1986-03-01

Information on milking rate, monthly bucket somatic cell counts, mastitis treatment, and milk production was obtained from 284 lactations of Holstein cows separated into three lactation groups. Significant correlations between somatic cell count (linear score) and other parameters included production in lactation 1 (-.185), production in lactation 2 (-.267), and percent 2-min milk in lactation 2 (.251). Somatic cell count tended to increase with maximum milking rate in all lactations, but correlations were not statistically significant. Twenty-nine percent of cows with milking rate measurements were treated for clinical mastitis. Treated cows in each lactation group produced less milk than untreated cows. In the second and third lactation groups, treated cows had a shorter total milking time and a higher percent 2-min milk than untreated cows, but differences were not statistically significant. Overall, the data support the concept that faster milking cows tend to have higher cell counts and more mastitis treatments, particularly beyond first lactation. However, the magnitude of the relationship was small.

Comparison of planar, PET and well-counter measurements of total tumor radioactivity in a mouse xenograft model.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Michael V; Seidel, Jurgen; Williams, Mark R; Wong, Karen J; Ton, Anita; Basuli, Falguni; Choyke, Peter L; Jagoda, Elaine M

2017-10-01

Quantitative small animal radionuclide imaging studies are often carried out with the intention of estimating the total radioactivity content of various tissues such as the radioactivity content of mouse xenograft tumors exposed to putative diagnostic or therapeutic agents. We show that for at least one specific application, positron projection imaging (PPI) and PET yield comparable estimates of absolute total tumor activity and that both of these estimates are highly correlated with direct well-counting of these same tumors. These findings further suggest that in this particular application, PPI is a far more efficient data acquisition and processing methodology than PET. Forty-one athymic mice were implanted with PC3 human prostate cancer cells transfected with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA (+)) and one additional animal (for a total of 42) with a control blank vector (PSMA (-)). All animals were injected with [ 18 F] DCFPyl, a ligand for PSMA, and imaged for total tumor radioactivity with PET and PPI. The tumors were then removed, assayed by well counting for total radioactivity and the values between these methods intercompared. PET, PPI and well-counter estimates of total tumor radioactivity were highly correlated (R 2 >0.98) with regression line slopes near unity (0.95radioactivity can be measured with PET or PPI with an accuracy comparable to well counting if certain experimental and pharmacokinetic conditions are met. In this particular application, PPI is significantly more efficient than PET in making these measurements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Study on modeling method of total viable count of fresh pork meat based on hyperspectral imaging system].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Peng, Yan-Kun; Zhang, Xiao-Li

2010-02-01

Once the total viable count (TVC) of bacteria in fresh pork meat exceeds a certain number, it will become pathogenic bacteria. The present paper is to explore the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging technology combined with relevant modeling method for the prediction of TVC in fresh pork meat. For the certain kind of problem that has remarkable nonlinear characteristic and contains few samples, as well as the problem that has large amount of data used to express the information of spectrum and space dimension, it is crucial to choose a logical modeling method in order to achieve good prediction result. Based on the comparative result of partial least-squares regression (PLSR), artificial neural networks (ANNs) and least square support vector machines (LS-SVM), the authors found that the PLSR method was helpless for nonlinear regression problem, and the ANNs method couldn't get approving prediction result for few samples problem, however the prediction models based on LS-SVM can give attention to the little training error and the favorable generalization ability as soon as possible, and can make them well synchronously. Therefore LS-SVM was adopted as the modeling method to predict the TVC of pork meat. Then the TVC prediction model was constructed using all the 512 wavelength data acquired by the hyperspectral imaging system. The determination coefficient between the TVC obtained with the standard plate count for bacterial colonies method and the LS-SVM prediction result was 0.987 2 and 0.942 6 for the samples of calibration set and prediction set respectively, also the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was 0.207 1 and 0.217 6 individually, and the result was considerably better than that of MLR, PLSR and ANNs method. This research demonstrates that using the hyperspectral imaging system coupled with the LS-SVM modeling method is a valid means for quick and nondestructive determination of TVC of pork

Determining random counts in liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horrocks, D.L.

1979-01-01

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

Microbiological assessment of house and imported bottled water by comparison of bacterial endotoxin concentration, heterotrophic plate count, and fecal coliform count.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Mayra I; Pérez, Cynthia M; Negrón, Edna L

2008-03-01

Consumers increasingly use bottled water and home water treatment systems to avoid direct tap water. According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), an industry trade group, 5 billion gallons of bottled water were consumed by North Americans in 2001. The principal aim of this study was to assess the microbial quality of in-house and imported bottled water for human consumption, by measurement and comparison of the concentration of bacterial endotoxin and standard cultivable methods of indicator microorganisms, specifically, heterotrophic and fecal coliform plate counts. A total of 21 brands of commercial bottled water, consisting of 10 imported and 11 in-house brands, selected at random from 96 brands that are consumed in Puerto Rico, were tested at three different time intervals. The Standard Limulus Amebocyte Lysate test, gel clot method, was used to measure the endotoxin concentrations. The minimum endotoxin concentration in 63 water samples was less than 0.0625 EU/mL, while the maximum was 32 EU/mL. The minimum bacterial count showed no growth, while the maximum was 7,500 CFU/mL. Bacterial isolates like P. fluorescens, Corynebacterium sp. J-K, S. paucimobilis, P. versicularis, A. baumannii, P. chlororaphis, F. indologenes, A. faecalis and P. cepacia were identified. Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated that endotoxin concentration did not change over time, while there was a statistically significant (p bacterial count over time. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that a unit change in the concentration of endotoxin across time was associated with a significant (p bacterial growth was not detected in some water samples, endotoxin was present. Measurement of Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins is one of the methods that have been suggested as a rapid way of determining bacteriological water quality.

Radiation counting statistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1999-08-01

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

Radiation counting statistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1999-08-01

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

Radiation counting statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1999-08-01

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

Agreement of manual cell counts and automated counts of the scil Vet abc Plus(+) hematology analyzer for analysis of equine synovial fluid.

Science.gov (United States)

Van de Water, Eline; Oosterlinck, Maarten; Duchateau, Luc; Pille, Frederik

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the scil Vet abc Plus(+) (SCIL Animal Care Company, Altorf, France), an impedance hematology analyzer, can accurately quantify and differentiate nucleated blood cells (NBCs) in equine synovial fluid. Synovial fluid samples (n=242) in different stages of experimentally induced inflammation were analyzed with and without hyaluronidase pretreatment and compared to manual hemocytometer counts and smear reviews. No significant effect of hyaluronidase pretreatment was observed. Total nucleated cell counts of the scil Vet abc Plus(+) were significantly higher compared to the manual method (P=0.02), yet the difference was small and clinically irrelevant (ratio manual/automated count equal to 0.97 with 95% CI [0.95, 1.00]). Differential cell counts of the scil Vet abc Plus(+) were not accurate. In conclusion, the scil Vet abc Plus(+) hematology analyzer is highly accurate for quantification, but not accurate for differentiation of NBCs in equine synovial fluid. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-oscillating modulators for direct energy conversion audio power amplifiers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ljusev, P.; Andersen, Michael A.E.

2005-07-01

Direct energy conversion audio power amplifier represents total integration of switching-mode power supply and Class D audio power amplifier into one compact stage, achieving high efficiency, high level of integration, low component count and eventually low cost. This paper presents how self-oscillating modulators can be used with the direct switching-mode audio power amplifier to improve its performance by providing fast hysteretic control with high power supply rejection ratio, open-loop stability and high bandwidth. Its operation is thoroughly analyzed and simulated waveforms of a prototype amplifier are presented. (au)

Evaluation of left ventricular function in patients with atrial fibrillation by ECG gated blood pool scintigraphy. Using frame count normalization method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akanabe, Hiroshi; Oshima, Motoo; Sakuma, Sadayuki

1988-07-01

The assumption necessary to perform ECG gated blood pool scintigraphy (EGBPS) are seemingly not valid for patients with atrial fibrillation (af), since they have wide variability in cardiac cycle length. The data were acquired in frame mode within the limits of mean heart rate of fix the first diastolic volume, and were calculated by frame count normalization (FCN) method to correct total counts in each frame. EGBPS were performed twelve patients with af, who were operated against valvular disease. The data acquired within mean heart rate +-10 % in frame mode were divided to 32 frames, and calculated total frame counts. With FCN method total frame counts from at 22nd to 32nd frame were multiplied to be equal to the average of total frame counts. FCN method could correct total frame counts at the latter frames. And there was good correlation between left ventricular ejection fraction calculated from scintigraphy and that from contrast cineangiography. Thus EGBPS with FCN method may be allow estimation of cardiac function even in subjects with af.

Standardization of Ga-68 by coincidence measurements, liquid scintillation counting and 4πγ counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Roteta, Miguel; Peyres, Virginia; Rodríguez Barquero, Leonor; García-Toraño, Eduardo; Arenillas, Pablo; Balpardo, Christian; Rodrígues, Darío; Llovera, Roberto

2012-09-01

The radionuclide (68)Ga is one of the few positron emitters that can be prepared in-house without the use of a cyclotron. It disintegrates to the ground state of (68)Zn partially by positron emission (89.1%) with a maximum energy of 1899.1 keV, and partially by electron capture (10.9%). This nuclide has been standardized in the frame of a cooperation project between the Radionuclide Metrology laboratories from CIEMAT (Spain) and CNEA (Argentina). Measurements involved several techniques: 4πβ-γ coincidences, integral gamma counting and Liquid Scintillation Counting using the triple to double coincidence ratio and the CIEMAT/NIST methods. Given the short half-life of the radionuclide assayed, a direct comparison between results from both laboratories was excluded and a comparison of experimental efficiencies of similar NaI detectors was used instead. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Medications for Gastric Acid-Related Symptoms on Total Motile Sperm Count and Concentration: A Case-Control Study in Men of Subfertile Couples from the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Huijgen, Nicole A; Goijen, Hedwig J; Twigt, John M; Mulders, Annemarie G M G J; Lindemans, Jan; Dohle, Gert R; Laven, Joop S E; Steegers-Theunissen, Régine P M

2017-03-01

Gastric acid-related symptoms are highly prevalent in the general population (21-40%), and more than 11% of individuals use medication for the treatment of these symptoms. The uptake of micronutrients is dependent on the gastrointestinal potential of hydrogen (pH). We hypothesized that medication affecting gastrointestinal pH reduces the availability of B vitamins, thereby deranging one-carbon metabolism and detrimentally affecting spermatogenesis. This explorative nested case-control study in men of subfertile couples investigated associations between medication used for gastric acid-related symptoms and semen parameters. We included 40 men using medication for gastric acid-related symptoms and 843 men not using medication. Semen analyses were performed between 70 days before and 21 days after the visit. The use of medication was associated with a twofold higher risk of a low total motile sperm count [TMSC sperm concentration (β -0.320, p = 0.028). Red blood cell folate was positively associated with TMSC (β 0.257, p = 0.026), sperm count (β 1.679, p = 0.013) and ejaculate volume (β 0.120, p = 0.023), and total homocysteine (tHcy) was negatively associated with sperm count (β -0.077, p = 0.021). Here we delineate associations between the use of medication for gastric acid-related symptoms and poor semen quality in men of subfertile couples. The use of medication for gastric acid-related symptoms is associated with a twofold higher risk of a low TMSC and a decreased sperm concentration. Although these findings warrant further research on causality, the associations between folate, tHcy and semen quality emphasize the importance of preconception counselling in male subfertility.

A combination of direct viable count and fluorescence in situ hybridization for specific enumeration of viable Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Hernández, J; Moreno, Y; Amorocho, C M; Hernández, M

2012-03-01

We have developed a direct viable count (DVC)-FISH procedure for quickly and easily discriminating between viable and nonviable cells of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains, the traditional yogurt bacteria. direct viable count method has been modified and adapted for Lact. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Strep. thermophilus analysis by testing different times of incubation and concentrations of DNA-gyrase inhibitors. DVC procedure has been combined with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for the specific detection of viable cells of both bacteria with specific rRNA oligonucleotide probes (DVC-FISH). Of the four antibiotics tested (novobiocin, nalidixic acid, pipemidic acid and ciprofloxacin), novobiocin was the most effective for DVC method and the optimum incubation time was 7 h for both bacteria. The number of viable cells was obtained by the enumeration of specific hybridized cells that were elongated at least twice their original length for Lactobacillus and twice their original size for Streptococcus. This technique was successfully applied to detect viable cells in inoculated faeces. Results showed that this DVC-FISH procedure is a quick and culture-independent useful method to specifically detect viable Lact. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Strep. thermophilus in different samples, being applied for the first time to lactic acid bacteria. © 2011 The Authors. Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Counting carbohydrates

Science.gov (United States)

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

Dependence of a whole body counting efficiency on body size and composition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venturini, Luzia; Campos, Vicente P.; Berti, Eduardo A.R.

2001-01-01

An approach is described to evaluate the counting efficiency dependence, on the geometry measurement and on the material density, for whole body measurement. The counting efficiency is evaluated using Monte Carlo Method to simulate the history of the photons, from its emission to its total absorption or escape from the detector. Theoretical calculations of the counting efficiency are presented for two phantoms of the BOMAB family. The phantoms are considered to be filled with water and with a material constituted as described by Snyder et al. (author)

Dependence of a whole body counting efficiency on body size and composition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venturini, Luzia; Campos, Vicente P.; Berti, Eduardo A.R. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2001-07-01

An approach is described to evaluate the counting efficiency dependence, on the geometry measurement and on the material density, for whole body measurement. The counting efficiency is evaluated using Monte Carlo Method to simulate the history of the photons, from its emission to its total absorption or escape from the detector. Theoretical calculations of the counting efficiency are presented for two phantoms of the BOMAB family. The phantoms are considered to be filled with water and with a material constituted as described by Snyder et al. (author)

Performance of a direct detection camera for off-axis electron holography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Shery L.Y., E-mail: shery.chang@asu.edu [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, and Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Dwyer, Christian [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, and Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Barthel, Juri; Boothroyd, Chris B.; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, and Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany)

2016-02-15

The performance of a direct detection camera (DDC) is evaluated in the context of off-axis electron holographic experiments in a transmission electron microscope. Its performance is also compared directly with that of a conventional charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The DDC evaluated here can be operated either by the detection of individual electron events (counting mode) or by the effective integration of many such events during a given exposure time (linear mode). It is demonstrated that the improved modulation transfer functions and detective quantum efficiencies of both modes of the DDC give rise to significant benefits over the conventional CCD cameras, specifically, a significant improvement in the visibility of the holographic fringes and a reduction of the statistical error in the phase of the reconstructed electron wave function. The DDC's linear mode, which can handle higher dose rates, allows optimisation of the dose rate to achieve the best phase resolution for a wide variety of experimental conditions. For suitable conditions, the counting mode can potentially utilise a significantly lower dose to achieve a phase resolution that is comparable to that achieved using the linear mode. The use of multiple holograms and correlation techniques to increase the total dose in counting mode is also demonstrated. - Highlights: • Performance of a direct detection camera for off-axis electron holography has been evaluated. • Better holographic fringe visibility and phase resolution are achieved using DDC. • Both counting and linear modes offered by DDC are advantageous for different dose regimes.

Performance of a direct detection camera for off-axis electron holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Shery L.Y.; Dwyer, Christian; Barthel, Juri; Boothroyd, Chris B.; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E.

2016-01-01

The performance of a direct detection camera (DDC) is evaluated in the context of off-axis electron holographic experiments in a transmission electron microscope. Its performance is also compared directly with that of a conventional charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The DDC evaluated here can be operated either by the detection of individual electron events (counting mode) or by the effective integration of many such events during a given exposure time (linear mode). It is demonstrated that the improved modulation transfer functions and detective quantum efficiencies of both modes of the DDC give rise to significant benefits over the conventional CCD cameras, specifically, a significant improvement in the visibility of the holographic fringes and a reduction of the statistical error in the phase of the reconstructed electron wave function. The DDC's linear mode, which can handle higher dose rates, allows optimisation of the dose rate to achieve the best phase resolution for a wide variety of experimental conditions. For suitable conditions, the counting mode can potentially utilise a significantly lower dose to achieve a phase resolution that is comparable to that achieved using the linear mode. The use of multiple holograms and correlation techniques to increase the total dose in counting mode is also demonstrated. - Highlights: • Performance of a direct detection camera for off-axis electron holography has been evaluated. • Better holographic fringe visibility and phase resolution are achieved using DDC. • Both counting and linear modes offered by DDC are advantageous for different dose regimes.

Comparison of planar, PET and well-counter measurements of total tumor radioactivity in a mouse xenograft model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Michael V.; Seidel, Jurgen; Williams, Mark R.; Wong, Karen J.; Ton, Anita; Basuli, Falguni; Choyke, Peter L.; Jagoda, Elaine M.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Quantitative small animal radionuclide imaging studies are often carried out with the intention of estimating the total radioactivity content of various tissues such as the radioactivity content of mouse xenograft tumors exposed to putative diagnostic or therapeutic agents. We show that for at least one specific application, positron projection imaging (PPI) and PET yield comparable estimates of absolute total tumor activity and that both of these estimates are highly correlated with direct well-counting of these same tumors. These findings further suggest that in this particular application, PPI is a far more efficient data acquisition and processing methodology than PET. Methods: Forty-one athymic mice were implanted with PC3 human prostate cancer cells transfected with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA (+)) and one additional animal (for a total of 42) with a control blank vector (PSMA (−)). All animals were injected with [ 18 F] DCFPyl, a ligand for PSMA, and imaged for total tumor radioactivity with PET and PPI. The tumors were then removed, assayed by well counting for total radioactivity and the values between these methods intercompared. Results: PET, PPI and well-counter estimates of total tumor radioactivity were highly correlated (R 2 > 0.98) with regression line slopes near unity (0.95 < slope ≤ 1.02) and intercepts near zero (−0.001 MBq ≤ intercept ≤0.004 MBq). Conclusion: Total mouse xenograft tumor radioactivity can be measured with PET or PPI with an accuracy comparable to well counting if certain experimental and pharmacokinetic conditions are met. In this particular application, PPI is significantly more efficient than PET in making these measurements.

Recent trends in counts of migrant hawks from northeastern North America

Science.gov (United States)

Titus, K.; Fuller, M.R.

1990-01-01

Using simple regression, pooled-sites route-regression, and nonparametric rank-trend analyses, we evaluated trends in counts of hawks migrating past 6 eastern hawk lookouts from 1972 to 1987. The indexing variable was the total count for a season. Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), merlin (F. columbarius), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), and Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) counts increased using route-regression and nonparametric methods (P 0.10). We found no consistent trends (P > 0.10) in counts of sharp-shinned hawks (A. striatus), northern goshawks (A. gentilis) red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus), red-tailed hawks (B. jamaicensis), rough-legged hawsk (B. lagopus), and American kestrels (F. sparverius). Broad-winged hawk (B. platypterus) counts declined (P < 0.05) based on the route-regression method. Empirical comparisons of our results with those for well-studied species such as the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and osprey indicated agreement with nesting surveys. We suggest that counts of migrant hawks are a useful and economical method for detecting long-term trends in species across regions, particularly for species that otherwise cannot be easily surveyed.

Comparison of pregnancy rates in pre-treatment male infertility and low total motile sperm count at insemination.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Cheng Wei; Agbo, Chioma; Dahan, Michael H

2016-01-01

In intrauterine insemination (IUI), total motile sperm count (TMSC) is an important predictor of pregnancy. However, the clinical significance of a poor TMSC on the day of IUI in a patient with prior normal semen analysis (SA) is unclear. We performed this study to determine if these patients perform as poorly as those who had male factor infertility diagnosed prior to commencing treatment. 147 males with two abnormal SA based on the 2010 World Health Organization criteria underwent 356 IUI with controlled ovarian hyper-stimulation (COH). Their pregnancy rates were compared to 120 males who had abnormal TMSC at the time of 265 IUI with COH, in a retrospective university-based study. The two groups were comparable in female age (p = 0.11), duration of infertility (p = 0.17), previous pregnancies (p = 0.13), female basal serum FSH level (p = 0.54) and number of mature follicles on the day of ovulation trigger (p = 0.27). Despite better semen parameters on the day of IUI in the pre-treatment male factor infertility group (TMSC mean ± SD: 61 ± 30 million vs. 3.5 ± 2 million, p male factor infertility. More studies should be performed to confirm these findings.

Factor V Leiden is associated with increased sperm count

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Mens, T E; Joensen, U N; Bochdanovits, Z

2017-01-01

STUDY QUESTION: Is the thrombophilia mutation factor V Leiden (FVL) associated with an increased total sperm count? SUMMARY ANSWER: Carriers of FVL have a higher total sperm count than non-FVL-carriers, which could not be explained by genetic linkage or by observations in a FVL-mouse model. WHAT...... IS KNOWN ALREADY: FVL has a high prevalence in Caucasians despite detrimental health effects. Carriers have been shown to have higher fecundity, which might partly explain this evolutionary paradox. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: We determined FVL status in two cohorts (Dutch, n = 627; Danish, n = 854....... There were differences in smoking, abstinence time and age between the cohorts. We corrected for these in the primary analysis, which consisted of a mixed linear effects model, also incorporating unobjectified population differences. In public haplotype data from subjects of European descent, we explored...

Counting of oligomers in sequences generated by markov chains for DNA motif discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Gao; Zheng, Wei-Mou

2009-02-01

By means of the technique of the imbedded Markov chain, an efficient algorithm is proposed to exactly calculate first, second moments of word counts and the probability for a word to occur at least once in random texts generated by a Markov chain. A generating function is introduced directly from the imbedded Markov chain to derive asymptotic approximations for the problem. Two Z-scores, one based on the number of sequences with hits and the other on the total number of word hits in a set of sequences, are examined for discovery of motifs on a set of promoter sequences extracted from A. thaliana genome. Source code is available at http://www.itp.ac.cn/zheng/oligo.c.

Practical prototype of a cluster-counting transition radiation detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fabjan, C W; Willis, W [European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva (Switzerland); Gavrilenko, I; Maiburov, S; Shmeleva, A; Vasiliev, P [AN SSSR, Moscow. Fizicheskij Inst.; Chernyatin, V; Dolgoshein, B; Kantserov, V; Nevski, P [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst. (USSR)

1981-06-15

A transition radiation detector using a method of cluster counting measurements has been tested. The performance is considerably better than with the usual method of total charge measurements, as well as offering advantages in simplicity of construction and operation.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2010-01-01

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

Accuracy in activation analysis: count rate effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindstrom, R.M.; Fleming, R.F.

1980-01-01

The accuracy inherent in activation analysis is ultimately limited by the uncertainty of counting statistics. When careful attention is paid to detail, several workers have shown that all systematic errors can be reduced to an insignificant fraction of the total uncertainty, even when the statistical limit is well below one percent. A matter of particular importance is the reduction of errors due to high counting rate. The loss of counts due to random coincidence (pulse pileup) in the amplifier and to digitization time in the ADC may be treated as a series combination of extending and non-extending dead times, respectively. The two effects are experimentally distinct. Live timer circuits in commercial multi-channel analyzers compensate properly for ADC dead time for long-lived sources, but not for pileup. Several satisfactory solutions are available, including pileup rejection and dead time correction circuits, loss-free ADCs, and computed corrections in a calibrated system. These methods are sufficiently reliable and well understood that a decaying source can be measured routinely with acceptably small errors at a dead time as high as 20 percent

Reduction of CMOS Image Sensor Read Noise to Enable Photon Counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Guidash, Michael; Ma, Jiaju; Vogelsang, Thomas; Endsley, Jay

2016-04-09

Recent activity in photon counting CMOS image sensors (CIS) has been directed to reduction of read noise. Many approaches and methods have been reported. This work is focused on providing sub 1 e(-) read noise by design and operation of the binary and small signal readout of photon counting CIS. Compensation of transfer gate feed-through was used to provide substantially reduced CDS time and source follower (SF) bandwidth. SF read noise was reduced by a factor of 3 with this method. This method can be applied broadly to CIS devices to reduce the read noise for small signals to enable use as a photon counting sensor.

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

CERN Document Server

Brown, Sanborn C

1967-01-01

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

Quantitative monitoring of the fluorination process by neutron counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russo, P.A.; Appert, Q.D.; Biddle, R.S.; Kelley, T.A.; Martinez, M.M.; West, M.H.

1993-01-01

Plutonium metal is produced by reducing PuF 4 prepared from PuO 2 by fluorination. Both fluorination and reduction are batch processes at the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility. The conversion of plutonium oxide to fluoride greatly increases the neutron yield, a result of the high cross section for alpha-neutron (α,n) reactions on fluorine targets compared to the (more than 100 times) smaller α,n yield on oxygen targets. Because of the increase, total neutron counting can be used to monitor the conversion process. This monitoring ability can lead to an improved metal product, reduced scrap for recycle, waste reduction, minimized reagent usage, and reduce personnel radiation exposures. A new stirred-bed fluorination process has been developed simultaneously with a recent evaluation of an automated neutron-counting instrument for quantitative process monitoring. Neutrons are counted with polyethylene-moderated 3 He-gas proportional counters. Results include a calibration of the real-time neutron-count-rate indicator for the extent of fluorination using reference values obtained from destructive analysis of samples from the blended fluoroinated batch

Microbial counts of food contact surfaces at schools depending on a feeding scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nthabiseng Nhlapo

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The prominence of disease transmission between individuals in confined environments is a concern, particularly in the educational environment. With respect to school feeding schemes, food contact surfaces have been shown to be potential vehicles of foodborne pathogens. The aim of this study was to assess the cleanliness of the surfaces that come into contact with food that is provided to children through the National School Nutrition Programme in central South Africa. In each school under study, microbiological samples were collected from the preparation surface and the dominant hand and apron of the food handler. The samples were analysed for total viable counts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and yeasts and moulds. The criteria specified in the British Columbia Guide for Environmental Health Officers were used to evaluate the results. Total viable counts were high for all surfaces, with the majority of colonies being too numerous to count (over 100 colonies per plate. Counts of organisms were relatively low, with 20% of the surfaces producing unsatisfactory enumeration of S. aureus and E. coli and 30% unsatisfactory for coliforms. Yeast and mould produced 50% and 60% unsatisfactory counts from preparation surfaces and aprons, respectively. Statistically significant differences could not be established amongst microbial counts of the surfaces, which suggests cross-contamination may have occurred. Contamination may be attributed to foodstuffs and animals in the vicinity of the preparation area rather than to the food handlers, because hands had the lowest counts of enumerated organisms amongst the analysed surfaces.

Counting cormorants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2013-01-01

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

Photon counting with small pore microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martindale, A.; Lapington, J.S.; Fraser, G.W.

2007-01-01

We describe the operation of microchannel plates (MCPs) with 3.2μm diameter channels as photon counting detectors of soft X-rays. Gain and temporal resolution measurements are compared with theoretical scaling laws for channel diameter. A minimum pulse width of 264ps is observed for a two stage multiplier at a total bias voltage of ∼1930V

Performance of n-γ pulse-shape discrimination with simple pile-up rejection at high γ-ray count rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuda, T.; Yamazaki, H.; Kawabata, M.; Kasagi, J.; Harada, H.

1999-01-01

The performance of n-γ pulse-shape discrimination for a liquid scintillation detector has been investigated for γ-ray count rates up to 50 kcps. A method in which the ratio of the total to partial charge in the anode pulse is directly measured has shown much improved quality of the pulse-shape discrimination when pile-up events are rejected; it can discriminate neutron events of 50 cps from γ-ray events of 29 kcps. The method with simple pile-up rejection has the advantage that only general purpose electronics are required

Increased count, motility, and total motile sperm cells collected across three consecutive ejaculations within 24 h of oocyte retrieval: implications for management of men presenting with low numbers of motile sperm for assisted reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Said, Al-Hasen; Reed, Michael L

2015-07-01

The purpose of this study was to quantitate changes in seminal volume, sperm count, motility, qualitative forward progression, and total motile sperm cells per ejaculate, across three consecutive ejaculates collected from individuals within 24 h preceding an IVF cycle. Men presenting with oligoasthenozoospermia or asthenozoospemia attempted three ejaculates within 24 h preceding IVF. Ejaculate 1 was produced the afternoon prior to oocyte retrieval, and ejaculates 2 and 3 were produced the morning of oocyte retrieval with 2-3 h between collections. Ejaculates 1 and 2 were extended 1:1 v/v with room temperature rTYBS. Test tubes were placed into a beaker of room temperature water, then placed at 4 °C for gradual cooling. Ejaculate 3 was not extended, but pooled with ejaculates 1 and 2 and processed for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Out of 109 oocyte retrievals, 28 men were asked to attempt multiple consecutive ejaculations. Among this population, 25/28 (89.3 %) were successful, and 3/28 men (10.7 %) could only produce two ejaculates. Mean volumes for ejaculates 1, 2, and 3 were significantly different from each other (p sperm counts, motility, qualitative forward progression, and total motile cells per ejaculate for the ejaculates1, 2, and 3 demonstrated the following: ejaculates 2 and 3 were not significantly different, but counts, motility, and total motile sperm were improved over ejaculate 1 (p sperm in this population by 8-fold compared to the first ejaculate alone, facilitating avoidance of sperm cryopreservation and additional centrifugation steps that could affect sperm viability and/or function.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-12-01

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

Errors associated with moose-hunter counts of occupied beaver Castor fiber lodges in Norway

OpenAIRE

Parker, Howard; Rosell, Frank; Gustavsen, Per Øyvind

2002-01-01

In Norway, Sweden and Finland moose Alces alces hunting teams are often employed to survey occupied beaver (Castor fiber and C. canadensis) lodges while hunting. Results may be used to estimate population density or trend, or for issuing harvest permits. Despite the method's increasing popularity, the errors involved have never been identified. In this study we 1) compare hunting-team counts of occupied lodges with total counts, 2) identify the sources of error between counts and 3) evaluate ...

Study The Validity of The Direct Mathematical Method For Calculation The Total Efficiency Using Point And Disk Sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagag, O.M.; Nafee, S.S.; Naeem, M.A.; El Khatib, A.M.

2011-01-01

The direct mathematical method has been developed for calculating the total efficiency of many cylindrical gamma detectors, especially HPGe and NaI detector. Different source geometries are considered (point and disk). Further into account is taken of gamma attenuation from detector window or any interfacing absorbing layer. Results are compared with published experimental data to study the validity of the direct mathematical method to calculate total efficiency for any gamma detector size.

Relationship of blood and milk cell counts with mastitic pathogens in Murrah buffaloes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Singh

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The present study was undertaken to see the effect of mastitic pathogens on the blood and milk counts of Murrah buffaloes. Milk and blood samples were collected from 9 mastitic Murrah buffaloes. The total leucocyte Counts (TLC and Differential leucocyte counts (DLC in blood were within normal range and there was a non-significant change in blood counts irrespective of different mastitic pathogens. Normal milk quarter samples had significantly (P<0.01 less Somatic cell counts (SCC. Lymphocytes were significantly higher in normal milk samples, whereas infected samples had a significant increase (P<0.01 in milk neutrophils. S. aureus infected buffaloes had maximum milk SCC, followed by E. coli and S. agalactiae. Influx of neutrophils in the buffalo mammary gland was maximum for S. agalactiae, followed by E.cli and S. aureus. The study indicated that level of mastitis had no affect on blood counts but it influenced the milk SCC of normal quarters.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2010-07-15

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

Study on advancement of in vivo counting using mathematical simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinase, Sakae [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

2003-05-01

To obtain an assessment of the committed effective dose, individual monitoring for the estimation of intakes of radionuclides is required. For individual monitoring of exposure to intakes of radionuclides, direct measurement of radionuclides in the body - in vivo counting- is very useful. To advance in a precision in vivo counting which fulfills the requirements of ICRP 1990 recommendations, some problems, such as the investigation of uncertainties in estimates of body burdens by in vivo counting, and the selection of the way to improve the precision, have been studied. In the present study, a calibration technique for in vivo counting application using Monte Carlo simulation was developed. The advantage of the technique is that counting efficiency can be obtained for various shapes and sizes that are very difficult to change for phantoms. To validate the calibration technique, the response functions and counting efficiencies of a whole-body counter installed in JAERI were evaluated using the simulation and measurements. Consequently, the calculations are in good agreement with the measurements. The method for the determination of counting efficiency curves as a function of energy was developed using the present technique and a physiques correction equation was derived from the relationship between parameters of correction factor and counting efficiencies of the JAERI whole-body counter. The uncertainties in body burdens of {sup 137}Cs estimated with the JAERI whole-body counter were also investigated using the Monte Carlo simulation and measurements. It was found that the uncertainties of body burdens estimated with the whole-body counter are strongly dependent on various sources of uncertainty such as radioactivity distribution within the body and counting statistics. Furthermore, the evaluation method of the peak efficiencies of a Ge semi-conductor detector was developed by Monte Carlo simulation for optimum arrangement of Ge semi-conductor detectors for

[Complete blood count reference values of donated cord blood from Korean neonates].

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hye Ryun; Shin, Sue; Yoon, Jong Hyun; Kim, Byoung Jae; Hwang, Kyu Ri; Kim, Jin Ju; Roh, Eun Youn

2009-06-01

In the public cord blood (CB) banks, only safe CB units with adequate cell doses are processed and stored. Complete blood count (CBC) of CB is crucial for estimating total nucleated cells (TNC) and screening suitable CB units without hematologic abnormalities. We analyzed CBC parameters of the donated CB from healthy Korean neonates to establish CBC reference values. A total of 2,129 Korean CB units, donated and processed during the period from August 2007 to December 2007, were enrolled. We measured hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC) count, differential count of WBC, platelets and nucleated red blood cell (nRBC) count by XE-2100 automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex, Japan), and estimated reference value of each parameter by using parametric (Mean+/-2SD) and/or non-parametric methods (2.5-97.5 percentile). And also, we compared the result of each parameter in relation to sex of neonates and delivery method. Because the differences of CBC values among different subgroups were not remarkable, we established the reference intervals as follows without subgroup division: Hb, 9.0-14.4 g/dL; WBC count, 5.6-18.5 x 10(3)/microL; differential count of WBC (neutrophils, 40.8-72.4%; lymphocytes, 17.2-46.7%; monocytes, 4.9-12.8%; eosinophils, 0.7-7.0%; basophils, 0.0-1.6%); platelet, 130-287 x 10(3)/microL; nRBCs, 0.0-13.1/100 WBC. We established cord blood CBC reference values of healthy Korean neonates using a large-scale CB units. The established CBC reference values from our study will be useful as basic data for CBC interpretation and assessment of transplant suitability of donated CB.

Set of counts by scintillations for atmospheric samplings; Ensemble de comptages par scintillations pour prelevements atmospheriques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Appriou, D.; Doury, A.

1962-07-01

The author reports the development of a scintillation-based counting assembly with the following characteristics: a photo-multiplier with a wide photo-cathode, a thin plastic scintillator for the counting of beta + alpha (and possibility of mounting an alpha scintillator), a relatively small own motion with respect to activities to be counted, a weakly varying efficiency. The authors discuss the counting objective, present equipment tests (counter, proportional amplifier and pre-amplifier, input drawer). They describe the apparatus operation, discuss the selection of scintillators, report the study of the own movement (electron-based background noise, total background noise, background noise reduction), discuss counts (influence of the external source, sensitivity to alpha radiations, counting homogeneity, minimum detectable activity) and efficiencies.

Quantitative clinical uptake measurements using conjugate counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lathrop, K.A.; Bartlett, R.D.; Chen, C.T.; Chou, J.S.; Faulhaber, P.F.; Harper, P.V.; Stark, V.J.

1986-01-01

While the use of conjugate counting for determination of organ uptake in human subjects has been extensively described, in the present study the determination of the organ uptake of ortho-iodohippurate presented several opportunities for validation of the in vivo counting data. Ortho-iodohippurate is distributed in the extracellular space, is largely extracted on each pass through the kidneys, and is not significantly deiodinated in vivo. Thus, the kidney uptake rate should be proportional to the blood level, the appearance rate of activity in the bladder is equal to the disappearance rate from the kidneys, and direct measurement of activity in the urine after voiding provides an internal standard for imaging measurements of bladder activity. Since the activity levels in the kidneys, bladder, and remainder of the body changed fairly rapidly, especially in the first 20 to 30 minutes following injection, posterior images of the trunk including kidneys and bladder were obtained continuously using a gamma camera fitted with a diverging collimator for 30 minutes and then at intervals for several hours. Simultaneous conjugate counting determinations were made using a whole body scanning system previously described at these meetings. Imaging data corrected for decay and adjacent background were fitted by least squares methods to curves representing a sum of exponentials, and the curves were normalized to the conjugate uptake measurements. The uptake curves of the kidneys and bladder matched well with the direct measurements of the urinary excretion. Data were collected in 16 normal subjects, and the estimated absorbed dose was calculated for the kidneys, the bladder and the remainder of the body for seven radioisotopes of iodine. 4 references, 6 figures, 2 tables

Increment of absolute neutrophil count in the third trimester and increased risk of small-for-gestational-age birth: Hirakata Risk Associated with Pregnancy Assessment Research (HIRAPAR).

Science.gov (United States)

Harita, Nobuko; Kariya, Masatoshi; Hayashi, Tomoshige; Sato, Kyoko Kogawa; Nakamura, Kimihiko; Endo, Ginji; Narimoto, Katsuhiko

2012-09-01

Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants, who have growth restriction, have higher perinatal morbidity and mortality. Excessive inflammatory reaction such as neutrophil activation has been observed in pregnant women whose offspring had restricted fetal growth, but the association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and SGA birth has not yet been assessed. We therefore examined the association of WBC count and its change with the risk of SGA birth. We enrolled 2356 pregnant women who had full-term singleton delivery at a private maternity hospital in Hirakata, Japan. SGA was defined as under the 10th percentile of birthweight for gestational age, baby sex, and mother's parity according to the Japanese neonatal anthropometric charts renewed in 2010. Blood samples were measured in the first and third trimesters. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to assess associations between total and differential WBC counts and SGA birth. Women with SGA birth tended to have higher total WBC count in the third trimester compared with women who did not have SGA birth. This tendency was not observed for total WBC count in the first trimester. After adjustment for age, height, body mass index at entry, smoking habit, weekly gestational weight gain, and pregnancy-induced hypertension, higher total WBC count in the third trimester was associated with an increased risk of SGA birth. Total WBC count in the first trimester did not show any significant association with SGA birth. The ratio of total WBC count in the third trimester to that in the first trimester was associated with SGA birth; the odds ratio for 1 unit increase was 3.02 (95% CI: 1.54-5.92). Regarding differential WBC counts in the third trimester, neutrophil count but not lymphocyte count was associated positively with SGA birth. Higher total WBC and absolute neutrophil counts in the third trimester were associated with SGA birth. In addition, greater ratio of increase in total WBC counts during pregnancy

Validation of an inertial measurement unit for the measurement of jump count and height.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Kerry; Bahr, Roald; Baltich, Jennifer; Whittaker, Jackie L; Meeuwisse, Willem H

2017-05-01

To validate the use of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for the collection of total jump count and assess the validity of an IMU for the measurement of jump height against 3-D motion analysis. Cross sectional validation study. 3D motion-capture laboratory and field based settings. Thirteen elite adolescent volleyball players. Participants performed structured drills, played a 4 set volleyball match and performed twelve counter movement jumps. Jump counts from structured drills and match play were validated against visual count from recorded video. Jump height during the counter movement jumps was validated against concurrent 3-D motion-capture data. The IMU device captured more total jumps (1032) than visual inspection (977) during match play. During structured practice, device jump count sensitivity was strong (96.8%) while specificity was perfect (100%). The IMU underestimated jump height compared to 3D motion-capture with mean differences for maximal and submaximal jumps of 2.5 cm (95%CI: 1.3 to 3.8) and 4.1 cm (3.1-5.1), respectively. The IMU offers a valid measuring tool for jump count. Although the IMU underestimates maximal and submaximal jump height, our findings demonstrate its practical utility for field-based measurement of jump load. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adequação da contagem de células somáticas e da contagem bacteriana total em leite cru refrigerado aos parâmetros da legislação Suitability of somatic cell count and total bacterial count in raw refrigerated milk to legislation standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.A. Bozo

2013-04-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi adequar a qualidade do leite cru refrigerado de cinco propriedades leiteiras aos parâmetros microbiológicos e de contagem de células somáticas (CCS estabelecidos pela legislação estadual do Paraná. As propriedades leiteiras estudadas foram monitoradas durante sete meses após a implantação de boas práticas de ordenha e de recomendações quanto ao tratamento de mastites e à manutenção e higienização de equipamentos de ordenha. Antes da adoção das recomendações, a contagem bacteriana total (CBT média era de 1,36 x 10(6UFC/mL e a CCS média, de 1,87 x 10(6/mL. Todas as propriedades atingiram os padrões estabelecidos para CBT, com redução média de 93,4%. A redução de CCS foi, em média, 74,3%. Apenas três propriedades atingiram os valores estabelecidos para CCS. As demais atingiram valores muito próximos ao limite. A adequação aos padrões de CBT e CCS gerou aumento na renda mensal, em razão do pagamento por qualidade do produto, entre R$120,00 e R$828,00, de acordo com a produção de cada propriedade.The aim of this work was to adequate raw refrigerated milk quality of five dairy farms to microbiological and somatic cell count (SCC standards established by Paraná state legislation. The dairy farms were monitored during seven months after the implementation of good milking practices and recommendations regarding mastitis treatment, and milking equipment maintenance and hygiene. Before the adoption of recommendations, the average total bacterial count (TBC was 1.36 x 10(6CFU/mL and average SCC was 1.87 x 10(6/mL. All farms reached established standards for TBC, originating an average reduction of 93.4%. Average SCC reduction was 74.3%. Only three farms reached established values for SCC. The remaining reached values near the limits. The suitability of TBC and SCC produced an increase in the monthly income due to payment quality reward of the dairy product, between R$120.00 and R$828

Clean Hands Count

Medline Plus

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Directional sensitivity of MuSTAnG muon telescope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganeva Marina

2013-04-01

Full Text Available We investigate directional sensitivity of MuSTAnG muon telescope by deriving the distribution of secondary muons, which create the counting rate of telescope, by asymptotic directions of primary protons. This distribution, defined as “directivity function”, allows us to clarify protons appearing from which direction essentially contribute to counting rate of detector. Directivity function has different behavior for the muons falling on the telescope at different zenith and polar angles. Vertical, West, and East fluxes exhibit strong maximums near the asymptotic longitude about 61°, whereas North and South fluxes have larger spread distributions. About 65% of muons, which create the Vertical counting rate of MuSTAnG, are produced by the primary protons, coming in the interval of asymptotic longitudes about (50°, 80°. Using directivity function will allow one to more correctly determine the location of interplanetary disturbances. Analogous analysis, made for other muon detectors, will clarify their directional sensitivities, improving by this the forecasting capability of network of ground-based muon detectors.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azhar A. Alkazwini

2016-11-01

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

Automated cell counts on CSF samples: A multicenter performance evaluation of the GloCyte system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hod, E A; Brugnara, C; Pilichowska, M; Sandhaus, L M; Luu, H S; Forest, S K; Netterwald, J C; Reynafarje, G M; Kratz, A

2018-02-01

Automated cell counters have replaced manual enumeration of cells in blood and most body fluids. However, due to the unreliability of automated methods at very low cell counts, most laboratories continue to perform labor-intensive manual counts on many or all cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. This multicenter clinical trial investigated if the GloCyte System (Advanced Instruments, Norwood, MA), a recently FDA-approved automated cell counter, which concentrates and enumerates red blood cells (RBCs) and total nucleated cells (TNCs), is sufficiently accurate and precise at very low cell counts to replace all manual CSF counts. The GloCyte System concentrates CSF and stains RBCs with fluorochrome-labeled antibodies and TNCs with nucleic acid dyes. RBCs and TNCs are then counted by digital image analysis. Residual adult and pediatric CSF samples obtained for clinical analysis at five different medical centers were used for the study. Cell counts were performed by the manual hemocytometer method and with the GloCyte System following the same protocol at all sites. The limits of the blank, detection, and quantitation, as well as precision and accuracy of the GloCyte, were determined. The GloCyte detected as few as 1 TNC/μL and 1 RBC/μL, and reliably counted as low as 3 TNCs/μL and 2 RBCs/μL. The total coefficient of variation was less than 20%. Comparison with cell counts obtained with a hemocytometer showed good correlation (>97%) between the GloCyte and the hemocytometer, including at very low cell counts. The GloCyte instrument is a precise, accurate, and stable system to obtain red cell and nucleated cell counts in CSF samples. It allows for the automated enumeration of even very low cell numbers, which is crucial for CSF analysis. These results suggest that GloCyte is an acceptable alternative to the manual method for all CSF samples, including those with normal cell counts. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Direct and indirect mortality in Florida during the 2004 hurricane season

Science.gov (United States)

McKinney, Nathan; Houser, Chris; Meyer-Arendt, Klaus

2011-07-01

Previous studies have shown that natural disasters, and hurricanes in particular, have led to more deaths than those usually documented in short post-storm surveys. Such indirect deaths, thought to be related to dietary, stress or pre-existing medical conditions, can exceed the number of direct deaths and may persist for weeks or even months beyond the event itself. In the present study, cumulative sum of deviations plots are used to quantify the number of direct and indirect deaths resulting from Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne that made landfall in Florida in 2004. Results suggest that there was an elevated mortality for up to 2 months following each storm, resulting in a total of 624 direct and indirect deaths attributable to the storm. Trauma-related deaths that can be associated directly with the storm account for only ˜4% of the total storm-related mortality, while indirect mortality accounts for most storm-related deaths. Specifically, a large percentage of the elevated mortality was associated with heart (34%) and cancer-related deaths (19%), while diabetes (5%) and accident-related deaths (9%) account for a smaller but still significant percentage of the elevated mortality. The results further suggest that the elevated mortality was the result of additional deaths that would not have otherwise occurred within that 5 month period, and not simply a clustering of deaths that were inevitable between 1 August and 31 December 2004. The elevated mortality identified in this study is significantly greater than the official count of 31 direct and 113 indirect deaths resulting from the four hurricanes combined. This suggests a need for improved mortality counts and surveillance in order to better evaluate and identify effective prevention policies, and to identify preventable deaths.

Testing for causality between the foreign direct investment, current account deficit, GDP and total credit: Evidence from G7

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akbas Yusuf Ekrem

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, countries were analyzed between 1990 and 2011 in order to determine whether a causal relationship exists among current account deficit, GDP, foreign direct investment, and total credits of G7. Analysis took into account the cross-sectional dependence and was applied to test the causality among the variables form the panel. Firstly, panel unit root tests were used for determining stationary of variables. As a result of the panel unit root tests, it was found that GDP and foreign direct investment have a stationary structure and that total credits and current account deficit contain unit root. In order to see whether there is a long-term relationship among the variables or not, the panel co-integration test was used. As a result of the test, it was concluded that there is a co-integration relationship among the series. The possibility of a causal relationship was analyzed among the variables using the causality test developed by Elena Ivona Dumitrescu and Christophe Hurlin (2012. Results of the analysis showed a unidirectional causal relationship from current account deficit and foreign direct investment to GDP. Bidirectional causality was found between current account deficit and total credits. Finally, a unidirectional relationship was found from foreign direct investment to current account deficit and total credits.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Navarro Gomez, A.

1973-01-01

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

Differential white cell count by centrifugal microfluidics.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sommer, Gregory Jon; Tentori, Augusto M.; Schaff, Ulrich Y.

2010-07-01

We present a method for counting white blood cells that is uniquely compatible with centrifugation based microfluidics. Blood is deposited on top of one or more layers of density media within a microfluidic disk. Spinning the disk causes the cell populations within whole blood to settle through the media, reaching an equilibrium based on the density of each cell type. Separation and fluorescence measurement of cell types stained with a DNA dye is demonstrated using this technique. The integrated signal from bands of fluorescent microspheres is shown to be proportional to their initial concentration in suspension. Among the current generation of medical diagnostics are devices based on the principle of centrifuging a CD sized disk functionalized with microfluidics. These portable 'lab on a disk' devices are capable of conducting multiple assays directly from a blood sample, embodied by platforms developed by Gyros, Samsung, and Abaxis. [1,2] However, no centrifugal platform to date includes a differential white blood cell count, which is an important metric complimentary to diagnostic assays. Measuring the differential white blood cell count (the relative fraction of granulocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes) is a standard medical diagnostic technique useful for identifying sepsis, leukemia, AIDS, radiation exposure, and a host of other conditions that affect the immune system. Several methods exist for measuring the relative white blood cell count including flow cytometry, electrical impedance, and visual identification from a stained drop of blood under a microscope. However, none of these methods is easily incorporated into a centrifugal microfluidic diagnostic platform.

Scintillation counting: an extrapolation into the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, H.H.

1983-01-01

Progress in scintillation counting is intimately related to advances in a variety of other disciplines such as photochemistry, photophysics, and instrumentation. And while there is steady progress in the understanding of luminescent phenomena, there is a virtual explosion in the application of semiconductor technology to detectors, counting systems, and data processing. The exponential growth of this technology has had, and will continue to have, a profound effect on the art of scintillation spectroscopy. This paper will review key events in technology that have had an impact on the development of scintillation science (solid and liquid) and will attempt to extrapolate future directions based on existing and projected capability in associated fields. Along the way there have been occasional pitfalls and several false starts; these too will be discussed as a reminder that if you want the future to be different than the past, study the past

Radon Daughters Background Reduction in Alpha Particles Counting System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dadon, S. S.; Pelled, O.; Orion, I.

2014-01-01

The ABPC method is using a serially occurring events of the beta decay of the 214Bi fallow by alpha decay of the 214Po that take place almost simultaneously to detect the Pseudo Coincidence Event (PCE) from the RDP, and to subtract them from the gross alpha counts. 267 This work showed that it is possible to improve the efficiency of RDP background reduction, including subtracting the 218Po contribution by using the ABPC method based on a single solid state silicon PIPS detector. False counts percentage obtained at the output of the PCE circuit were smaller than 0.1%. The results show that the PCE circuit was not influenced by non RDP alpha emitters. The PCE system did not reduce the non PCE of the 218Po. After 20 minutes the 218Po was strongly decayed, and its contribution became negligible. In order to overcome this disadvantage, a mathematical matching calculations for the 214Po and the 218Po decay equations were employed, and a constant ratio of the APo214(0) / APo218(0) was obtained. This ratio can be used to estimate the count rate of the 218Po at the first 20 minutes, and to subtract it from the total count rate in order to obtain correct RDP reduction

Quality control methods in accelerometer data processing: identifying extreme counts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carly Rich

Full Text Available Accelerometers are designed to measure plausible human activity, however extremely high count values (EHCV have been recorded in large-scale studies. Using population data, we develop methodological principles for establishing an EHCV threshold, propose a threshold to define EHCV in the ActiGraph GT1M, determine occurrences of EHCV in a large-scale study, identify device-specific error values, and investigate the influence of varying EHCV thresholds on daily vigorous PA (VPA.We estimated quantiles to analyse the distribution of all accelerometer positive count values obtained from 9005 seven-year old children participating in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. A threshold to identify EHCV was derived by differentiating the quantile function. Data were screened for device-specific error count values and EHCV, and a sensitivity analysis conducted to compare daily VPA estimates using three approaches to accounting for EHCV.Using our proposed threshold of ≥ 11,715 counts/minute to identify EHCV, we found that only 0.7% of all non-zero counts measured in MCS children were EHCV; in 99.7% of these children, EHCV comprised < 1% of total non-zero counts. Only 11 MCS children (0.12% of sample returned accelerometers that contained negative counts; out of 237 such values, 211 counts were equal to -32,768 in one child. The medians of daily minutes spent in VPA obtained without excluding EHCV, and when using a higher threshold (≥19,442 counts/minute were, respectively, 6.2% and 4.6% higher than when using our threshold (6.5 minutes; p<0.0001.Quality control processes should be undertaken during accelerometer fieldwork and prior to analysing data to identify monitors recording error values and EHCV. The proposed threshold will improve the validity of VPA estimates in children's studies using the ActiGraph GT1M by ensuring only plausible data are analysed. These methods can be applied to define appropriate EHCV thresholds for different accelerometer models.

Hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from ADF STEM images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De wael, Annelies, E-mail: annelies.dewael@uantwerpen.be [Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium); De Backer, Annick [Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Jones, Lewys; Nellist, Peter D. [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PH Oxford (United Kingdom); Van Aert, Sandra, E-mail: sandra.vanaert@uantwerpen.be [Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium)

2017-06-15

A hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images of monotype crystalline nanostructures is presented. Different atom-counting methods already exist for model-like systems. However, the increasing relevance of radiation damage in the study of nanostructures demands a method that allows atom-counting from low dose images with a low signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, the hybrid method directly includes prior knowledge from image simulations into the existing statistics-based method for atom-counting, and accounts in this manner for possible discrepancies between actual and simulated experimental conditions. It is shown by means of simulations and experiments that this hybrid method outperforms the statistics-based method, especially for low electron doses and small nanoparticles. The analysis of a simulated low dose image of a small nanoparticle suggests that this method allows for far more reliable quantitative analysis of beam-sensitive materials. - Highlights: • A hybrid method for atom-counting from ADF STEM images is introduced. • Image simulations are incorporated into a statistical framework in a reliable manner. • Limits of the existing methods for atom-counting are far exceeded. • Reliable counting results from an experimental low dose image are obtained. • Progress towards reliable quantitative analysis of beam-sensitive materials is made.

High Channel Count, High Density Microphone Arrays for Wind Tunnel Environments, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation (IC2) proposes the development of high channel count, high density, reduced cost per channel, directional microphone...

NUFFT-Based Iterative Image Reconstruction via Alternating Direction Total Variation Minimization for Sparse-View CT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Yan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Sparse-view imaging is a promising scanning method which can reduce the radiation dose in X-ray computed tomography (CT. Reconstruction algorithm for sparse-view imaging system is of significant importance. The adoption of the spatial iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction has a low operation efficiency and high computation requirement. A novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique that utilizes nonuniform fast Fourier transform is presented in this study along with the advanced total variation (TV regularization for sparse-view CT. Combined with the alternating direction method, the proposed approach shows excellent efficiency and rapid convergence property. Numerical simulations and real data experiments are performed on a parallel beam CT. Experimental results validate that the proposed method has higher computational efficiency and better reconstruction quality than the conventional algorithms, such as simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique using TV method and the alternating direction total variation minimization approach, with the same time duration. The proposed method appears to have extensive applications in X-ray CT imaging.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2010-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1979-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Lu

2017-11-01

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

The naive CD4+ count in HIV-1-infected patients at time of initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy is strongly associated with the level of immunological recovery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michael, OG; Kirk, O; Mathiesen, Lars Reinhardt

2002-01-01

CD4 + count followed a triphasic pattern, reflecting an initial phase of rapid redistribution from lymphoid tissues, followed by a slow increase, partially due to an increase in naive CD4+ cell count. From Month 18 onwards, both naive and total CD4 + cell counts stabilized, although viral suppression......-infected patients. The focus was on the naive CD4 + cell time course and associations between naive CD4 + cell counts and established prognostic markers. Total and naive CD4 + cell counts were measured using flow cytometry. The HIV-RNA detection limit was 20 copies/ml. During 36 months of HAART, the total...... was sustained. There was no association between plasma viral load and the increase in naive CD4 + cell count. Importantly, baseline naive CD4 + cell count was significantly associated with the change in naive CD4 + cell count, suggesting that the naive cell count at baseline does influence the immunological...

Effect of land uses and wind direction on the contribution of local sources to airborne pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojo, Jesús; Rapp, Ana; Lara, Beatriz; Fernández-González, Federico; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

2015-01-01

The interpretation of airborne pollen levels in cities based on the contribution of the surrounding flora and vegetation is a useful tool to estimate airborne allergen concentrations and, consequently, to determine the allergy risk for local residents. This study examined the pollen spectrum in a city in central Spain (Guadalajara) and analysed the vegetation landscape and land uses within a radius of 20 km in an attempt to identify and locate the origin of airborne pollen and to determine the effect of meteorological variables on pollen emission and dispersal. The results showed that local wind direction was largely responsible for changes in the concentrations of different airborne pollen types. The land uses contributing most to airborne pollen counts were urban green spaces, though only 0.1% of the total surface area studied, and broadleaved forest which covered 5% of the study area. These two types of land use together accounted for 70% of the airborne pollen. Crops, scrubland and pastureland, though covering 80% of the total surface area, contributed only 18.6% to the total pollen count, and this contribution mainly consisted of pollen from Olea and herbaceous plants, including Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae–Amaranthaceae. Pollen from ornamental species were mainly associated with easterly (Platanus), southerly (Cupressaceae) and westerly (Cupressaceae and Platanus) winds from the areas where the city's largest parks and gardens are located. Quercus pollen was mostly transported by winds blowing in from holm-oak stands on the eastern edge of the city. The highest Populus pollen counts were associated with easterly and westerly winds blowing in from areas containing rivers and streams. The airborne pollen counts generally rose with increasing temperature, solar radiation and hours of sunlight, all of which favour pollen release. In contrast, pollen counts declined with increased relative humidity and rainfall, which hinder airborne pollen transport

Effect of land uses and wind direction on the contribution of local sources to airborne pollen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rojo, Jesús; Rapp, Ana; Lara, Beatriz; Fernández-González, Federico; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

2015-12-15

The interpretation of airborne pollen levels in cities based on the contribution of the surrounding flora and vegetation is a useful tool to estimate airborne allergen concentrations and, consequently, to determine the allergy risk for local residents. This study examined the pollen spectrum in a city in central Spain (Guadalajara) and analysed the vegetation landscape and land uses within a radius of 20 km in an attempt to identify and locate the origin of airborne pollen and to determine the effect of meteorological variables on pollen emission and dispersal. The results showed that local wind direction was largely responsible for changes in the concentrations of different airborne pollen types. The land uses contributing most to airborne pollen counts were urban green spaces, though only 0.1% of the total surface area studied, and broadleaved forest which covered 5% of the study area. These two types of land use together accounted for 70% of the airborne pollen. Crops, scrubland and pastureland, though covering 80% of the total surface area, contributed only 18.6% to the total pollen count, and this contribution mainly consisted of pollen from Olea and herbaceous plants, including Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae–Amaranthaceae. Pollen from ornamental species were mainly associated with easterly (Platanus), southerly (Cupressaceae) and westerly (Cupressaceae and Platanus) winds from the areas where the city's largest parks and gardens are located. Quercus pollen was mostly transported by winds blowing in from holm-oak stands on the eastern edge of the city. The highest Populus pollen counts were associated with easterly and westerly winds blowing in from areas containing rivers and streams. The airborne pollen counts generally rose with increasing temperature, solar radiation and hours of sunlight, all of which favour pollen release. In contrast, pollen counts declined with increased relative humidity and rainfall, which hinder airborne pollen

Data process of liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Hiroaki; Kuwajima, Susumu.

1975-01-01

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

A Next Generation Digital Counting System For Low-Level Tritium Studies (Project Report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, P.

2016-01-01

Since the early seventies, SRNL has pioneered low-level tritium analysis using various nuclear counting technologies and techniques. Since 1999, SRNL has successfully performed routine low-level tritium analyses with counting systems based on digital signal processor (DSP) modules developed in the late 1990s. Each of these counting systems are complex, unique to SRNL, and fully dedicated to performing routine tritium analyses of low-level environmental samples. It is time to modernize these systems due to a variety of issues including (1) age, (2) lack of direct replacement electronics modules and (3) advances in digital signal processing and computer technology. There has been considerable development in many areas associated with the enterprise of performing low-level tritium analyses. The objective of this LDRD project was to design, build, and demonstrate a Next Generation Tritium Counting System (NGTCS), while not disrupting the routine low-level tritium analyses underway in the facility on the legacy counting systems. The work involved (1) developing a test bed for building and testing new counting system hardware that does not interfere with our routine analyses, (2) testing a new counting system based on a modern state of the art DSP module, and (3) evolving the low-level tritium counter design to reflect the state of the science.

Effect of gamma irradiation on shelf life extension, total counts of microbials and biochemical sensory change on luncheon meat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Bachir, M.; Mehyou, A.

1999-11-01

To investigate the effect of gamma irradiation and sodium nitrate on storability and marketability of luncheon, packed luncheon was exposed to several treatments; gamma irradiation at doses 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 KGy using a 60 CO package irradiator, mixed with sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ) 60 mg/Kg meat, with no irradiation and a combined treatment of both NaNO 2 treatment and irradiated with a dose of 2 KGy only. Half of the irradiated and unirradiated samples were stored in refrigeration (1-4 centigrade), to study storability and the second half were stored at room temperature (18-20 centigrade) to study marketability of luncheon. During storage period the population of microorganisms, biochemical changes and sensory properties were evaluated every two weeks for the refrigerated samples and weekly for the unrefrigerated samples. The results indicated that gamma irradiation and sodium nitrite reduced the counts of microorganisms and increased the shelf-life of luncheon. Both treatments (irradiation, sodium nitrite) increased total acidity, lipid oxidation, and the volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) immediately after processing and reduced all of them through out storage. Sensory evaluation (firmness, color, taste, and flavor) indicated no significant differences (P>0.05) between treated and untreated samples. (author)

Effect of gamma irradiation on shelf life extension, total counts of microbials and biochemical sensory change on luncheon meat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Bachir, M; Mehyou, A [Atomic Energy Commission, Dept. of Radiation Technology, Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic)

1999-11-01

To investigate the effect of gamma irradiation and sodium nitrate on storability and marketability of luncheon, packed luncheon was exposed to several treatments; gamma irradiation at doses 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 KGy using a {sup 60} CO package irradiator, mixed with sodium nitrite (NaNO{sub 2}) 60 mg/Kg meat, with no irradiation and a combined treatment of both NaNO{sub 2} treatment and irradiated with a dose of 2 KGy only. Half of the irradiated and unirradiated samples were stored in refrigeration (1-4 centigrade), to study storability and the second half were stored at room temperature (18-20 centigrade) to study marketability of luncheon. During storage period the population of microorganisms, biochemical changes and sensory properties were evaluated every two weeks for the refrigerated samples and weekly for the unrefrigerated samples. The results indicated that gamma irradiation and sodium nitrite reduced the counts of microorganisms and increased the shelf-life of luncheon. Both treatments (irradiation, sodium nitrite) increased total acidity, lipid oxidation, and the volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) immediately after processing and reduced all of them through out storage. Sensory evaluation (firmness, color, taste, and flavor) indicated no significant differences (P>0.05) between treated and untreated samples. (author)

Non-Poisson counting statistics of a hybrid G-M counter dead time model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Hoon; Jae, Moosung; Gardner, Robin P.

2007-01-01

The counting statistics of a G-M counter with a considerable dead time event rate deviates from Poisson statistics. Important characteristics such as observed counting rates as a function true counting rates, variances and interval distributions were analyzed for three dead time models, non-paralyzable, paralyzable and hybrid, with the help of GMSIM, a Monte Carlo dead time effect simulator. The simulation results showed good agreements with the models in observed counting rates and variances. It was found through GMSIM simulations that the interval distribution for the hybrid model showed three distinctive regions, a complete cutoff region for the duration of the total dead time, a degraded exponential and an enhanced exponential regions. By measuring the cutoff and the duration of degraded exponential from the pulse interval distribution, it is possible to evaluate the two dead times in the hybrid model

Hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from ADF STEM images.

Science.gov (United States)

De Wael, Annelies; De Backer, Annick; Jones, Lewys; Nellist, Peter D; Van Aert, Sandra

2017-06-01

A hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images of monotype crystalline nanostructures is presented. Different atom-counting methods already exist for model-like systems. However, the increasing relevance of radiation damage in the study of nanostructures demands a method that allows atom-counting from low dose images with a low signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, the hybrid method directly includes prior knowledge from image simulations into the existing statistics-based method for atom-counting, and accounts in this manner for possible discrepancies between actual and simulated experimental conditions. It is shown by means of simulations and experiments that this hybrid method outperforms the statistics-based method, especially for low electron doses and small nanoparticles. The analysis of a simulated low dose image of a small nanoparticle suggests that this method allows for far more reliable quantitative analysis of beam-sensitive materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Juul, Jonas S.; Joyner, Christopher H.

2018-06-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ping; Zev Rymer, William

2004-12-01

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

Counting It Twice.

Science.gov (United States)

Schattschneider, Doris

1991-01-01

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

Low White Blood Cell Count

Science.gov (United States)

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

NIF total neutron yield diagnostic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, Gary W.; Ruiz, Carlos L.

2001-01-01

We have designed a total neutron yield diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) which is based on the activation of In and Cu samples. The particular approach that we have chosen is one in which we calibrate the entire counting system and which we call the ''F factor'' method. In this method, In and/or Cu samples are exposed to known sources of DD and DT neutrons. The activated samples are then counted with an appropriate system: a high purity Ge detector for In and a NaI coincidence system for Cu. We can then calculate a calibration factor, which relates measured activity to total neutron yield. The advantage of this approach is that specific knowledge of such quantities as cross sections and detector efficiencies is not needed. Unless the actual scattering environment of the NIF can be mocked up in the calibration experiment, the F factor will have to be modified using the results of a numerical simulation of the NIF scattering environment. In this article, the calibration factor methodology will be discussed and experimental results for the calibration factors will be presented. Total NIF neutron yields of 10 9 --10 19 can be measured with this method assuming a 50 cm stand-off distance can be employed for the lower yields

Total direct cost, length of hospital stay, institutional discharges and their determinants from rehabilitation settings in stroke patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, S K; Ng, T P; Yong, D; Fong, N P; Gerald, K

2006-11-01

Length of hospital stay (LOHS) is the largest determinant of direct cost for stroke care. Institutional discharges (acute care and nursing homes) from rehabilitation settings add to the direct cost. It is important to identify potentially preventable medical and non-medical reasons determining LOHS and institutional discharges to reduce the direct cost of stroke care. The aim of the study was to ascertain the total direct cost, LOHS, frequency of institutional discharges and their determinants from rehabilitation settings. Observational study was conducted on 200 stroke patients in two rehabilitation settings. The patients were examined for various socio-demographic, neurological and clinical variables upon admission to the rehabilitation hospitals. Information on total direct cost and medical complications during hospitalization were also recorded. The outcome variables measured were total direct cost, LOHS and discharges to institutions (acute care and nursing home facility) and their determinants. The mean and median LOHS in our study were 34 days (SD = 18) and 32 days respectively. LOHS and the cost of hospital stay were significantly correlated. The significant variables associated with LOHS on multiple linear regression analysis were: (i) severe functional impairment/functional dependence Barthel Index institutional discharges (22 to acute care and 17 to nursing homes). On multivariate analysis the significant predictors of discharges to institutions from rehabilitation hospitals were medical complications (OR = 4.37; 95% CI 1.01-12.53) and severe functional impairment/functional dependence. (OR = 5.90, 95% CI 2.32-14.98). Length of hospital stay and discharges to institutions from rehabilitation settings are significantly determined by medical complications. Importance of adhering to clinical pathway/protocol for stroke care is further discussed.

Assessment of operating room airflow using air particle counts and direct observation of door openings.

Science.gov (United States)

Teter, Jonathan; Guajardo, Isabella; Al-Rammah, Tamrah; Rosson, Gedge; Perl, Trish M; Manahan, Michele

2017-05-01

The role of the operating room (OR) environment has been thought to contribute to surgical site infection rates. The quality of OR air, disruption of airflow, and other factors may increase contamination risks. We measured air particulate counts (APCs) to determine if they increased in relation to traffic, door opening, and other common activities. During 1 week, we recorded APCs in 5-minute intervals and movement of health care workers. Trained observers recorded information about traffic, door openings, job title of the opener, and the reason for opening. At least 1 OR door was open during 47% of all readings. There were 13.4 door openings per hour during cases. Door opening rates ranged from 0.19-0.28 per minute. During this time, a total of 660 air measurements were obtained. The mean APCs were 9,238 particles (95% confidence interval [CI], 5,494- 12,982) at baseline and 14,292 particles (95% CI, 12,382-16,201) during surgery. Overall APCs increased 13% when either door was opened (P opening. We observed numerous instances of verbal communication and equipment movement. Improving efficiency of communication and equipment can aid in reduction of traffic. Further study is needed to examine links between microbiologic sampling, outcome data, and particulate matter to enable study of risk factors and effects of personnel movement. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Calibration of nuclides by gamma-gamma sum peak coincidence counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guevara, E.A.

1986-01-01

The feasibility of extending sum peak coincidence counting to the direct calibration of gamma-ray emitters having particular decay schemes was investigated, also checkings of the measurement accuracy, by comparing with more precise beta-gamma coincidence counting have been performed. New theoretical studies and experiments were developed, demonstrating the reliability of the procedure. Uncertainties of less than one percent were obtained when certain radioactive sources were measured. The application of the procedure to 60 Co, 22 Na, 47 Ca and 148 Pm was studied. Theoretical bases of sum peak coincidence counting were set in order to extend it as an alternative method for absolute activity determination. In this respect, theoretical studies were performed for positive and negative beta decay, and electron capture, either accompanied or unaccompanied by coincident gamma rays. They include decay schemes containing up to three daughter nuclide excited levels, for different geometrical configurations. Equations are proposed for a possible generalization of the procedure. (M.E.L.) [es

Exploiting direct and indirect methods for the detection of the total carotenoid content in dried pasta

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doka, O.; Bicanic, D.D.; Végvári, G.; Buijnsters, J.G.; Spruijt, R.B.; Luterotti, S.

2010-01-01

The total carotenoid concentration (TCC) of several commercially available dried pastas prepared with or without eggs was assessed by means of the two well-established destructive approaches [spectrophotometry (SP) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)] and three non-destructive, direct

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zijing; Song Jie; Zhao Yuan; Wu Long

2017-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

McNeel, Anthony K; Cushman, Robert A

2015-10-15

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

Evaluation of white cell count and differential in synovial fluid for diagnosing infections after total hip or knee arthroplasty.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinhua Qu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The accuracy of synovial fluid (SF white cell count (WCC and polymorphonuclear (PMN cell evaluation for predicting prosthetic joint infection (PJI at the total hip arthroplasty (THA or total knee arthroplasty (TKA site is unknown. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to summarize the diagnostic validity of SF-WCC and SF-PMN for diagnosing PJI. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and OVID databases were searched for studies that had evaluated the diagnostic validity of SF-WCC and SF-PMN between January 1990 and May 2013. Meta-analysis methods were used to pool sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odd ratios (DORs, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC, positive likelihood ratios (PLR, negative likelihood ratios (NLR, and post-test probability. We also conducted heterogeneity, publication bias, subgroup, and meta-regression analyses. RESULTS: Fifteen articles (15 SF-WCC and 14 SF-PMN that included a total of 2787 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were considered for analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for PJI detection was 0.88 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.81-0.93 and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.88-0.96 for SF-WCC and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84-0.93 and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83-0.92 for SF-PMN, respectively. The AUC was 0.96 for SF-WCC and 0.95 for SF-PMN. PLR and NLR were 13.3 and 0.13 for SF-WCC, and 7.6 and 0.12 for SF-PMN, respectively. There was no evidence of publication bias. Low-clinical-scenario (pre-test probability, 20% post-test probabilities were 3% for both negative SF-WCC and SF-PMN results. The subgroup analyses indicated that the sensitivity/specificity of THA were 0.73/0.96 for SF-WCC and 0.85/0.83 for SF-PMN, whereas those of TKA were 0.90/0.91 for SF-WCC and 0.90/0.88 for SF-PMN. We also found that collection of SF-WCC preoperatively had a higher sensitivity than that obtained intraoperatively (0.91 vs. 0.77. CONCLUSIONS: SF-WCC and SF-PMN have an adequate and clinically acceptable

Hanford whole body counting manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1987-05-01

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

Sperm counts may have declined in young university students in Southern Spain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mendiola, Jaime; Jørgensen, Niels; Mínguez-Alarcón, Lidia

2013-01-01

Several studies have investigated temporal trends in semen quality in Northern Europe, but none has examined this question in Southern Europe. A prior study conducted in Almeria Province (Southern Spain) reported higher sperm count and concentration among Spanish young men recruited from 2001......, Body mass index (BMI), presence of varicocoele and prenatal exposure to tobacco) to look for a birth-cohort effect over the combined study period (2001-2011). Sperm concentration and total sperm count declined significantly with year of birth in the pooled analysis (β = -0.04 and β = -0...

A rapid and universal bacteria-counting approach using CdSe/ZnS/SiO2 composite nanoparticles as fluorescence probe.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xin; Huang, Kelong; Liu, Suqin

2010-02-01

In this paper, a rapid, simple, and sensitive method was described for detection of the total bacterial count using SiO(2)-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) as a fluorescence marker that covalently coupled with bacteria using glutaraldehyde as the crosslinker. Highly luminescent CdSe/ZnS were prepared by applying cadmium oxide and zinc stearate as precursors instead of pyrophoric organometallic precursors. A reverse-microemulsion technique was used to synthesize CdSe/ZnS/SiO(2) composite nanoparticles with a SiO(2) surface coating. Our results showed that CdSe/ZnS/SiO(2) composite nanoparticles prepared with this method possessed highly luminescent, biologically functional, and monodispersive characteristics, and could successfully be covalently conjugated with the bacteria. As a demonstration, it was found that the method had higher sensitivity and could count bacteria in 3 x 10(2) CFU/mL, lower than the conventional plate counting and organic dye-based method. A linear relationship of the fluorescence peak intensity (Y) and the total bacterial count (X) was established in the range of 3 x 10(2)-10(7) CFU/mL using the equation Y = 374.82X-938.27 (R = 0.99574). The results of the determination for the total count of bacteria in seven real samples were identical with the conventional plate count method, and the standard deviation was satisfactory.

Effect of land uses and wind direction on the contribution of local sources to airborne pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojo, Jesús; Rapp, Ana; Lara, Beatriz; Fernández-González, Federico; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

2015-12-15

The interpretation of airborne pollen levels in cities based on the contribution of the surrounding flora and vegetation is a useful tool to estimate airborne allergen concentrations and, consequently, to determine the allergy risk for local residents. This study examined the pollen spectrum in a city in central Spain (Guadalajara) and analysed the vegetation landscape and land uses within a radius of 20km in an attempt to identify and locate the origin of airborne pollen and to determine the effect of meteorological variables on pollen emission and dispersal. The results showed that local wind direction was largely responsible for changes in the concentrations of different airborne pollen types. The land uses contributing most to airborne pollen counts were urban green spaces, though only 0.1% of the total surface area studied, and broadleaved forest which covered 5% of the study area. These two types of land use together accounted for 70% of the airborne pollen. Crops, scrubland and pastureland, though covering 80% of the total surface area, contributed only 18.6% to the total pollen count, and this contribution mainly consisted of pollen from Olea and herbaceous plants, including Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae. Pollen from ornamental species were mainly associated with easterly (Platanus), southerly (Cupressaceae) and westerly (Cupressaceae and Platanus) winds from the areas where the city's largest parks and gardens are located. Quercus pollen was mostly transported by winds blowing in from holm-oak stands on the eastern edge of the city. The highest Populus pollen counts were associated with easterly and westerly winds blowing in from areas containing rivers and streams. The airborne pollen counts generally rose with increasing temperature, solar radiation and hours of sunlight, all of which favour pollen release. In contrast, pollen counts declined with increased relative humidity and rainfall, which hinder airborne pollen transport

Direct radioimmunoassay (RIA) of salivary testosterone: correlation with free and total serium testosterone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vittek, J.; L'Hommedieu, D.G.; Gordon, G.G.; Rappaport, S.C.; Southren, A.L.

1985-01-01

Simple and sensitive direct RIA for determination of salivary testosterone was developed by using RSL NOSOLVEX TM (125 1) kit produced by Radioassay System Laboratories (Carcon, California). In addition, a relationship between salivary and serum free and total testosterone concentrations was studied in randomly selected 45 healthy subjects, 5 females on oral contraceptive pills and 28 hypertensive patients on various treatment regimens. The lowest weight of testosterone detectable by the modified method was equivalent to 1 pg/ml of saliva, taking into account analytical variability. Intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 5.09 +/- 2.7% and 8.2 +/- 5.9% respectively. Statistically significant correlations were found between salivary and serum free testosterone (r = 0.97) and salivary and serum total testosterone concentrations (r = 0.70 - 0.87). The exception to this was a group of hypertensive females in which no correlation (r = 0.14) between salivary and total serum testosterone was found. It is also of interest that, while salivary testosterone was significantly increased in subjects taking oral contraceptives and most of the hypertensive patients, the total serum testosterone concentration was in normal range. These findings suggest that the determination of salivary testosterone is a reliable method to detect changes in the concentration of available biologically active hormone in the circulation. 21 references, 4 figures, 1 table

Background reduction and noise discrimination in the proportional counting of tritium using pulse-shape analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochel, R C; Hayes, D W [Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.

1975-12-01

A pulse-shape analysis (PSA) unit of commercial design has been incorporated into a proportional counting system to determine the effectiveness of pulse-shape discrimination in increasing the sensitivity of tritium counting. It was found that a quantitative determination of tritium could be obtained directly from the PSA time spectrum eliminating the need for beta-ray energy selection used in the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique. The performance of the proportional counting system was tested using the PSA unit and anticoincidence shielding, both singly and combined, under several types of background. A background reduction factor of 169 was obtained from the combined PSA-anticoincidence system with only a 2% loss in tritium counting efficiency. The PSA method was also found to offer significant reductions in noise background.

Total lymphoid irradiation in multiple sclerosis: blood lymphocytes and clinical course

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, S.D.; Devereux, C.; Troiano, R.; Zito, G.; Hafstein, M.; Lavenhar, M.; Hernandez, E.; Dowling, P.C.

1987-01-01

We have found a significant relationship between blood lymphocyte count and prognosis in 45 patients receiving either total lymphoid irradiation or sham irradiation for chronic progressive multiple sclerosis. Patients with sustained lymphocyte counts less than 900 mm-3 for prolonged periods after treatment showed less rapid progression over the ensuing 3 years than did patients with multiple sclerosis who had lymphocyte counts above this level (p less than 0.01). Our results suggest that a simple laboratory test, the absolute blood lymphocyte count, may serve as a valuable barometer for monitoring the amount of immunosuppressive therapy needed to prevent progression in patients with multiple sclerosis, and possibly other autoimmune diseases

CalCOFI Egg Counts

Data.gov (United States)

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

Count-doubling time safety circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1981-01-01

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

Count-doubling time safety circuit

Science.gov (United States)

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

1981-01-01

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

The Big Pumpkin Count.

Science.gov (United States)

Coplestone-Loomis, Lenny

1981-01-01

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

Apparatus and method for quantitatively evaluating total fissile and total fertile nuclide content in samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldwell, J.T.; Cates, M.R.; Franks, L.A.; Kunz, W.E.

1985-01-01

Simultaneous photon and neutron interrogation of samples for the quantitative determination of total fissile nuclide and total fertile nuclide material present is made possible by the use of an electron accelerator. Prompt and delayed neutrons produced from resulting induced fissions are counted using a single detection system and allow the resolution of the contributions from each interrogating flux leading in turn to the quantitative determination sought. Detection limits for 239 Pu are estimated to be about 3 mg using prompt fission neutrons and about 6 mg using delayed delayed neutrons

Determination of 241Pu by low level β-proportional counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosner, G.; Hoetzl, H.; Winkler, R.

1992-01-01

A chemical separation procedure is described which allows the direct determination of low 241 Pu activities in environmental samples with a windowless gas-flow proportional counter. While current separation schemes based on anion exchange yield counting sources of sufficient purity for subsequent α-spectrometry, for β-counting of 241 Pu additional purification steps are required. A combination of anion exchange from 9 mol/1 HCl, LaF 3 precipitation and TTA extraction was found to be suitable even for analysis of long-range Chernobyl fallout samples which contained interfering radionuclides with β-activities at least 3 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than usually encountered. No difference is detectable between the results of the present, direct procedure and the results of the conventional indirect method based on the build-up of 241 Am. Average 241 Pu/ 239+241 Pu ratios in air and deposition samples taken at Neuherberg near Munich were 70±6 with the present procedure and 66±9 from 241 Am build-up. (author) 29 refs.; 3 tabs

Automatic Counting of Large Mammals from Very High Resolution Panchromatic Satellite Imagery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xue, Yifei; Wang, Tiejun; Skidmore, Andrew K.

2017-01-01

Estimating animal populations by direct counting is an essential component of wildlife conservation and management. However, conventional approaches (i.e., ground survey and aerial survey) have intrinsic constraints. Advances in image data capture and processing provide new opportunities for using

Galaxy number counts: Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metcalfe, N.; Shanks, T.; Fong, R.; Jones, L.R.

1991-01-01

Using the Prime Focus CCD Camera at the Isaac Newton Telescope we have determined the form of the B and R galaxy number-magnitude count relations in 12 independent fields for 21 m ccd m and 19 m ccd m 5. The average galaxy count relations lie in the middle of the wide range previously encompassed by photographic data. The field-to-field variation of the counts is small enough to define the faint (B m 5) galaxy count to ±10 per cent and this variation is consistent with that expected from galaxy clustering considerations. Our new data confirm that the B, and also the R, galaxy counts show evidence for strong galaxy luminosity evolution, and that the majority of the evolving galaxies are of moderately blue colour. (author)

A study of cellular counting to determine minimum thresholds for adequacy for liquid-based cervical cytology using a survey and counting protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitchener, Henry C; Gittins, Matthew; Desai, Mina; Smith, John H F; Cook, Gary; Roberts, Chris; Turnbull, Lesley

2015-03-01

Liquid-based cytology (LBC) for cervical screening would benefit from laboratory practice guidelines that define specimen adequacy for reporting of slides. The evidence base required to define cell adequacy should incorporate both ThinPrep™ (TP; Hologic, Inc., Bedford, MA, USA) and SurePath™ (SP; BD Diagnostics, Burlington, NC, USA), the two LBC systems used in the UK cervical screening programmes. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) current practice for reporting LBC in England, Wales and Scotland, (2) a reproducible method for cell counting, (3) the cellularity of slides classified as inadequate, negative or abnormal and (4) the impact of varying cellularity on the likelihood of detecting cytological abnormalities. The study involved four separate arms to pursue each of the four objectives. (1) A questionnaire survey of laboratories was conducted. (2) A standard counting protocol was developed and used by three experienced cytopathologists to determine a reliable and reproducible cell counting method. (3) Slide sets which included a range of cytological abnormalities were each sent to three laboratories for cell counting to study the correlation between cell counts and reported cytological outcomes. (4) Dilution of LBC samples by fluid only (unmixed) or by dilution with a sample containing normal cells (mixed) was performed to study the impact on reporting of reducing either the total cell count or the relative proportion of abnormal to normal cells. The study was conducted within the cervical screening programmes in England, Wales and Scotland, using routinely obtained cervical screening samples, and in 56 participating NHS cervical cytology laboratories. The study involved only routinely obtained cervical screening samples. There was no clinical intervention. The main outcome measures were (1) reliability of counting method, (2) correlation of reported cytology grades with cellularity and (3) levels of detection of abnormal cells in

Study on the behaviour of timing photomultipliers at a high counting rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladyshev, D.A.; Li, B.N.; Yunusov, Kh.R.

1978-01-01

Variations in the amplification factor K of a photomultiplier (PMU) with the accuracy of 1% in a pulse mode are studied. Measurements were performed by means of a light pulse generator based on a light diode which generates pulses at the repetition rate of 250-10 5 pulse/s. Relative variations in K were determined by the position of the peak gravity centre from the light diode using a pulse analyzer and a frequency meter. Results of PM testing show that, at a sudden counting rate increase, the amplification increases during the time period less than, the measurement time (less than 1 s) and returns to the stationary value. When the counting rate returns from 10 5 pulse/s to the initial value of 250 pulse/s, the amplification decreases and than increases to stationary value. The total time of K stabilization after counting rate applying constitutes 10-70 min. Restoration of K after counting rate removal occurs to be much slower, during 3 hr. 40 min. K values varied from 1 to 12%

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Luyi; Kuang Anren; Su Xianyu

2004-01-01

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

Counting statistics in radioactivity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.

1975-01-01

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

Primary Total Knee Replacement: Is Suction a Portal of Infection?

Science.gov (United States)

Budnar, Vijaya M; Amirfeyz, Rouin; Ng, Michael; Bannister, Gordon C; Blom, Ashley W

2009-01-01

INTRODUCTION Pulsed lavage during a total knee replacement usually leaves a pool of fluid on the surgical drapes. It is common practice to suck away this fluid using the same suction device used intra-operatively. This could be a cause of direct wound contamination. We hypothesised that bacteria contaminate fluid that collects around the foot in total knee replacement surgery and that suction equipment could be a portal of contamination. We also hypothesised that bacterial count in the fluid is lower if chlorhexidine, rather than saline, is used in the pulsed lavage. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty patients undergoing primary total knee replacement were divided into two groups. The first group had pulsed lavage with normal saline and the second with 0.05% chlorhexidine. RESULTS At the end of the operation, 20 ml of fluid, pooled on the surgical drapes was aspirated and cultured for bacterial growth. None of the fluid samples showed bacterial growth. CONCLUSIONS Suction device used peri-operatively during knee replacement is unlikely to be a cause of wound contamination. Pulsed lavage with normal saline is as effective as lavage with chlorhexidine. PMID:19335972

Background reduction and noise discrimination in the proportional counting of tritium using pulse-shape analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hochel, R.C.; Hayes, D.W.

1975-01-01

A pulse-shape analysis (PSA) unit of commercial design has been incorporated into a proportional counting system to determine the effectiveness of pulse-shape discrimination in increasing the sensitivity of tritium counting. It was found that a quantitative determination of tritium could be obtained directly from the PSA time spectrum eliminating the need for beta-ray energy selection used in the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique. The performance of the proportional counting system was tested using the PSA unit and anticoincidence shielding, both singly and combined, under several types of background. A background reduction factor of 169 was obtained from the combined PSA-anticoincidence system with only a 2% loss in tritium counting efficiency. The PSA method was also found to offer significant reductions in noise background. (Auth.)

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sunde, Peter; Jessen, Lonnie

2013-01-01

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

Estimation of Total Body Fat from Potassium-40 Content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taha Mohamed Taha Ahmed, T.M.T.

2010-01-01

This paper concerns on estimation of total body fat from potassium 40 content using total body counting technique. The work performed using fast scan whole body counter. Calibration of that system for K-40 was carried out under assumption that uniformity distribution of radioactivity of potassium was distributed in 10 polyethylene bottles phantom. Different body sizes were represented by 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 polyethylene bottles; each bottle has a volume of 0.04 m3. The counting efficiency for each body size was determined. Lean body weight (LBW) was calculated for ten males and ten females using appropriate mathematical equation. Total Body Potassium, TBK for the same selected group was measured using whole body counter. A mathematical relationship between lean body weight and potassium content was deduced .Fat contents for some individuals were calculated and weight/height ratio was indicated for fatness.

Total and Direct Correlation Function Integrals from Molecular Simulation of Binary Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wedberg, Nils Hejle Rasmus Ingemar; O’Connell, John P.; Peters, Günther H.J.

2011-01-01

The possibility for obtaining derivative properties for mixtures from integrals of spatial total and direct correlation functions obtained from molecular dynamics simulations is explored. Theoretically well-supported methods are examined to extend simulation radial distribution functions to long...... are consistent with an excess Helmholtz energy model fitted to available simulations. In addition, simulations of water/methanol and water/t-butanol mixtures have been carried out. The method yields results for partial molar volumes, activity coefficient derivatives, and individual correlation function integrals...... in reasonable agreement with smoothed experimental data. The proposed method for obtaining correlation function integrals is shown to perform at least as well as or better than two previously published approaches....

[Increase in prevalence of childhood asthma in Budapest between 1995 and 2003: correlation with air pollution data and total pollen count].

Science.gov (United States)

Endre, László; Láng, Sarolta; Vámos, Adrienn; Bobvos, János; Páldy, Anna; Farkas, Ildikó; Collinsné Horváth, Zsuzsa; Varró, Mihály János

2007-02-04

According to the data of the Hungarian pulmonological network, the prevalence of asthma in the last 15 years has increased (almost linearly) in Hungary. In 2004 it was 1.8%. There are only a few data about the prevalence of childhood asthma. The aim of the authors was to measure the prevalence of bronchial asthma in childhood in Budapest in 1995, 1999 and 2003, using questionnaires directed to district pediatricians. There were only two questions in these questionnaires: how many children are in their districts, and how many are suffering from asthma? Besides of this survey the dust, CO, NO(2) and SO(2) concentrations in the air were measured on-line at 8 points in Budapest, while ozone level measurements were also made at 2 stations. The counts of pollen and of fungal elements in the air were calculated separately for Buda and for Pest. In 1995, replies were received from 118 pediatricians in 11 districts, who were responsible for the supervision of 104,060 children, out of these 1.88+/-0.87% had been diagnosed as having asthma. In 1999 replies were sent by 153 physicians in 22 of the 23 districts, who had a total of 142,679 children under their care. These included 3228 asthmatics, i.e. a prevalence of 2.26+/-0.95%. In 2003 the authors received answers from all of the 23 districts of Budapest. The 204 pediatricians were responsible for the supervision of 176 049 children. The number of patients with the diagnosis of asthma was 4712 (corresponding for a prevalence of 2.68+/-1.3%). The increase between 1995 and 1999, and between 1999 and 2003 was highly significant (p Budapest did not deteriorate in the period in question, and the concentration of pollen grains of plants causing allergy did not increase compared to previous years. On the basis of the results of more than 100 thousand children, the authors conclude that between 1995 and 2003 the proportion of asthmatic children increased by 50% in Budapest, while the air pollution did not deteriorate and the pollen

Observation of neutron standing waves at total reflection by precision gamma spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aksenov, V.L.; Gundorin, N.A.; Nikitenko, Yu.V.; Popov, Yu.P.; Cser, L.

1998-01-01

Total reflection of polarized neutrons from the layered structure glass/Fe (1000 A Angstrom)/Gd (50 A Angstrom) is investigated by registering neutrons and gamma-quanta from thermal neutron capture. The polarization ratio of gamma counts of neutron beams polarized in and opposite the direction of the magnetic field is measured. The polarization ratio is larger than unity for the neutron wavelengths λ 2.2 A Angstrom. Such behaviour of the wavelength dependence of the gamma-quanta polarization ratio points to the fact that over the surface of the Fe Layer a neutron standing wave caused by the interference of the incident neutron wave and the wave refracted from the magnetized Fe layer is formed

You can count on the motor cortex: Finger counting habits modulate motor cortex activation evoked by numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Tschentscher, Nadja; Hauk, Olaf; Fischer, Martin H.; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2012-01-01

The embodied cognition framework suggests that neural systems for perception and action are engaged during higher cognitive processes. In an event-related fMRI study, we tested this claim for the abstract domain of numerical symbol processing: is the human cortical motor system part of the representation of numbers, and is organization of numerical knowledge influenced by individual finger counting habits? Developmental studies suggest a link between numerals and finger counting habits due to the acquisition of numerical skills through finger counting in childhood. In the present study, digits 1 to 9 and the corresponding number words were presented visually to adults with different finger counting habits, i.e. left- and right-starters who reported that they usually start counting small numbers with their left and right hand, respectively. Despite the absence of overt hand movements, the hemisphere contralateral to the hand used for counting small numbers was activated when small numbers were presented. The correspondence between finger counting habits and hemispheric motor activation is consistent with an intrinsic functional link between finger counting and number processing. PMID:22133748

Reducing Length of Stay, Direct Cost, and Readmissions in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients With an Outcomes Manager-Led Interprofessional Team.

Science.gov (United States)

Arana, Melissa; Harper, Licia; Qin, Huanying; Mabrey, Jay

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine whether an outcomes manager-led interprofessional team could reduce length of stay and direct cost without increasing 30-day readmission rates in the total joint arthroplasty patient population. The goal was to promote interprofessional relationships combined with collaborative practice to promote coordinated care with improved outcomes. Results from this project showed that length of stay (total hip arthroplasty [THA] reduced by 0.4 days and total knee arthroplasty [TKA] reduced by 0.6 days) and direct cost (THA reduced by $1,020 per case and TKA reduced by $539 per case) were significantly decreased whereas 30-day readmission rates of both populations were not significantly increased.

Maximum entropy deconvolution of low count nuclear medicine images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGrath, D.M.

1998-12-01

Maximum entropy is applied to the problem of deconvolving nuclear medicine images, with special consideration for very low count data. The physics of the formation of scintigraphic images is described, illustrating the phenomena which degrade planar estimates of the tracer distribution. Various techniques which are used to restore these images are reviewed, outlining the relative merits of each. The development and theoretical justification of maximum entropy as an image processing technique is discussed. Maximum entropy is then applied to the problem of planar deconvolution, highlighting the question of the choice of error parameters for low count data. A novel iterative version of the algorithm is suggested which allows the errors to be estimated from the predicted Poisson mean values. This method is shown to produce the exact results predicted by combining Poisson statistics and a Bayesian interpretation of the maximum entropy approach. A facility for total count preservation has also been incorporated, leading to improved quantification. In order to evaluate this iterative maximum entropy technique, two comparable methods, Wiener filtering and a novel Bayesian maximum likelihood expectation maximisation technique, were implemented. The comparison of results obtained indicated that this maximum entropy approach may produce equivalent or better measures of image quality than the compared methods, depending upon the accuracy of the system model used. The novel Bayesian maximum likelihood expectation maximisation technique was shown to be preferable over many existing maximum a posteriori methods due to its simplicity of implementation. A single parameter is required to define the Bayesian prior, which suppresses noise in the solution and may reduce the processing time substantially. Finally, maximum entropy deconvolution was applied as a pre-processing step in single photon emission computed tomography reconstruction of low count data. Higher contrast results were

Gauge invariance and degree of freedom count

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1990-01-01

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

Negative binomial mixed models for analyzing microbiome count data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinyan; Mallick, Himel; Tang, Zaixiang; Zhang, Lei; Cui, Xiangqin; Benson, Andrew K; Yi, Nengjun

2017-01-03

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology enable researchers to collect a large volume of metagenomic sequencing data. These data provide valuable resources for investigating interactions between the microbiome and host environmental/clinical factors. In addition to the well-known properties of microbiome count measurements, for example, varied total sequence reads across samples, over-dispersion and zero-inflation, microbiome studies usually collect samples with hierarchical structures, which introduce correlation among the samples and thus further complicate the analysis and interpretation of microbiome count data. In this article, we propose negative binomial mixed models (NBMMs) for detecting the association between the microbiome and host environmental/clinical factors for correlated microbiome count data. Although having not dealt with zero-inflation, the proposed mixed-effects models account for correlation among the samples by incorporating random effects into the commonly used fixed-effects negative binomial model, and can efficiently handle over-dispersion and varying total reads. We have developed a flexible and efficient IWLS (Iterative Weighted Least Squares) algorithm to fit the proposed NBMMs by taking advantage of the standard procedure for fitting the linear mixed models. We evaluate and demonstrate the proposed method via extensive simulation studies and the application to mouse gut microbiome data. The results show that the proposed method has desirable properties and outperform the previously used methods in terms of both empirical power and Type I error. The method has been incorporated into the freely available R package BhGLM ( http://www.ssg.uab.edu/bhglm/ and http://github.com/abbyyan3/BhGLM ), providing a useful tool for analyzing microbiome data.

An integral whole circuit of amplifying and discriminating suited to high counting rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Chengfu; Su Hong; Wu Ming; Li Xiaogang; Peng Yu; Qian Yi; Liu Yicai; Xu Sijiu; Ma Xiaoli

2007-01-01

A hybrid circuit consists of charge sensitive preamplifier, main amplifier, discriminator and shaping circuit was described. This instrument has characteristics of low power consumption, small volume, high sensitivity, potable and so on, and is convenient for use in field. The output pulse of this instrument may directly consist with CMOS or TTL logic level. This instrument was mainly used for count measurement, for example, for high sensitive 3 He neutron detector, meanwhile also may used for other heavy ion detectors, the highest counting rate can reach 10 6 /s. (authors)

Heterogeneous counting on filter support media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1976-01-01

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

Silicon quantum dots with counted antimony donor implants

Science.gov (United States)

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

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

Total body water and total body potassium in anorexia nervosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dempsey, D.T.; Crosby, L.O.; Lusk, E.; Oberlander, J.L.; Pertschuk, M.J.; Mullen, J.L.

1984-08-01

In the ill hospitalized patient with clinically relevant malnutrition, there is a measurable decrease in the ratio of the total body potassium to total body water (TBK/TBW) and a detectable increase in the ratio of total exchangeable sodium to total exchangeable potassium (Nae/Ke). To evaluate body composition analyses in anorexia nervosa patients with chronic uncomplicated semistarvation, TBK and TBW were measured by whole body K40 counting and deuterium oxide dilution in 10 females with stable anorexia nervosa and 10 age-matched female controls. The ratio of TBK/TBW was significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in anorexia nervosa patients than controls. The close inverse correlation found in published studies between TBK/TBW and Nae/Ke together with our results suggest that in anorexia nervosa, Nae/Ke may be low or normal. A decreased TBK/TBW is not a good indicator of malnutrition in the anorexia nervosa patient. The use of a decreased TBK/TBW ratio or an elevated Nae/Ke ratio as a definition of malnutrition may result in inappropriate nutritional management in the patient with severe nonstressed chronic semistarvation.

Total body water and total body potassium in anorexia nervosa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dempsey, D.T.; Crosby, L.O.; Lusk, E.; Oberlander, J.L.; Pertschuk, M.J.; Mullen, J.L.

1984-01-01

In the ill hospitalized patient with clinically relevant malnutrition, there is a measurable decrease in the ratio of the total body potassium to total body water (TBK/TBW) and a detectable increase in the ratio of total exchangeable sodium to total exchangeable potassium (Nae/Ke). To evaluate body composition analyses in anorexia nervosa patients with chronic uncomplicated semistarvation, TBK and TBW were measured by whole body K40 counting and deuterium oxide dilution in 10 females with stable anorexia nervosa and 10 age-matched female controls. The ratio of TBK/TBW was significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in anorexia nervosa patients than controls. The close inverse correlation found in published studies between TBK/TBW and Nae/Ke together with our results suggest that in anorexia nervosa, Nae/Ke may be low or normal. A decreased TBK/TBW is not a good indicator of malnutrition in the anorexia nervosa patient. The use of a decreased TBK/TBW ratio or an elevated Nae/Ke ratio as a definition of malnutrition may result in inappropriate nutritional management in the patient with severe nonstressed chronic semistarvation

Low serum albumin and total lymphocyte count as predictors of 30 day hospital readmission in patients 65 years of age or older

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Robinson

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge is a target for health care cost savings through the medicare Value Based Purchasing initiative. Because of this focus, hospitals and health systems are investing considerable resources into the identification of patients at risk of hospital readmission and designing interventions to reduce the rate of hospital readmission. Malnutrition is a known risk factor for hospital readmission.Materials and Methods. All medical patients 65 years of age or older discharged from Memorial Medical Center from January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012 who had a determination of serum albumin level and total lymphocyte count on hospital admission were studied retrospectively. Admission serum albumin levels and total lymphocyte counts were used to classify the nutritional status of all patients in the study. Patients with a serum albumin less than 3.5 grams/dL and/or a TLC less than 1,500 cells per mm3 were classified as having protein energy malnutrition. The primary outcome investigated in this study was hospital readmission for any reason within 30 days of discharge.Results. The study population included 1,683 hospital discharges with an average age of 79 years. The majority of the patients were female (55.9% and had a DRG weight of 1.22 (0.68. 219 patients (13% were readmitted within 30 days of hospital discharge. Protein energy malnutrition was common in this population. Low albumin was found in 973 (58% patients and a low TLC was found in 1,152 (68% patients. Low albumin and low TLC was found in 709 (42% of patients. Kaplan–Meier analysis shows any laboratory evidence of PEM is a significant (p < 0.001 predictor of hospital readmission. Low serum albumin (p < 0.001 and TLC (p = 0.018 show similar trends. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis showed low serum albumin (Hazard Ratio 3.27, 95% CI [2.30–4.63] and higher DRG weight (Hazard Ratio 1.19, 95% CI [1.03–1.38] to be significant

Análise das metodologias diretas e indiretas para a contagem de células somáticas no leite de cabras hígidas Analysis of direct and indirect methods for somatic cell counts in the milk of healthy goats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karina Medici Madureira

2010-04-01

élulas/mL de leite, e 62.493, 89.275 e 146.411. A correlação obtida entre a contagem celular automática e microscópica direta foi de 88%. A partir dos resultados observados pode-se concluir que existe diferença na contagem celular determinada através do método automático e microscópico sendo este último o mais adequado para a determinação da celularidade no leite de cabras.The particular apocrine secretion of goat milk different from the merocrine one observed in cows, may lead to errors in interpreting cellularity evaluations in the milk of this species. Thus, the objective of the present trial was to determine Somatic Cell Counts by means of one indirect methods, the California Mastitis Test (CMT, and direct methods, flow cytometry and direct microscopic count using methyl green-pyronine-Y stain, beyond comparing the methods of cellular counting. A total of 102 samples from 51 Saanen, Brown Alpine and Toggenburg female goats, bred in the state of São Paulo, were analyzed. Goats were separated in groups according to the phase of lactation and to physical examination of the mammary gland, and milk examination. Samples were divided into two aliquots, and were collected after California Mastitis Test evaluation. One aliquot was used in automatic cell counts, and the other, in direct microscopic count using methyl green-pyronine-Y stain. CMT results were as follows: 74.5% of the samples were negative, 8.8% yielded traces, 8.8% were weak positive (1, 6.8% were distinct positive (2 and 0.9% were strong positive (3. Medians of somatic cell counts in goat milk as evaluated by means automatic cell counter and direct microscopy, and grouped according to the different CMT scores, were as follows: 181,000, 578,000, 628,000, 1,421,500, and 5,542,000 cells/mL of milk and 74,991, 271,396, 71,420, 640,995, and 5,049,394 cells/mL of milk in scores negative, traces, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Medians obtained in automatic cell counts and direct microscopic counts, grouped according

Role of quenching on alpha/beta separation in liquid scintillation counting for several high capacity cocktails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pujol, L.; Sanchez-Cabeza, J.-A.

1997-01-01

The optimization of alpha/beta separation in liquid scintillation using pulse shape analysis is convenient for the simultaneous determination of alpha and beta emitters in natural water and other samples. In this work, alpha/beta separation was studied for different scintillant/vial combinations and it was observed that both the optimum pulse shape discrimination level and the total interference value (that is, the summed relative interference between alpha and beta spectra) were dependent on the sample quenching and independent of the scintillant/vial combination. These results provide a simple method for modifying the counting configuration, such as a change in the cocktail, vial or sample characteristics, without the need to perform exhaustive parameter optimizations. Also, it was observed that, for our counting conditions, the combination of Ultima Gold AB scintillation cocktail with Zinsser low diffusion vials presented the lowest total interference, namely 0.94 ± 0.28%, which is insignificant for the counting of environmental samples. (Author)

Precise method for correcting count-rate losses in scintillation cameras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, M.T.; Nickles, R.J.

1986-01-01

Quantitative studies performed with scintillation detectors often require corrections for lost data because of the finite resolving time of the detector. Methods that monitor losses by means of a reference source or pulser have unacceptably large statistical fluctuations associated with their correction factors. Analytic methods that model the detector as a paralyzable system require an accurate estimate of the system resolving time. Because the apparent resolving time depends on many variables, including the window setting, source distribution, and the amount of scattering material, significant errors can be introduced by relying on a resolving time obtained from phantom measurements. These problems can be overcome by curve-fitting the data from a reference source to a paralyzable model in which the true total count rate in the selected window is estimated from the observed total rate. The resolving time becomes a free parameter in this method which is optimized to provide the best fit to the observed reference data. The fitted curve has the inherent accuracy of the reference source method with the precision associated with the observed total image count rate. Correction factors can be simply calculated from the ratio of the true reference source rate and the fitted curve. As a result, the statistical uncertainty of the data corrected by this method is not significantly increased

LAWRENCE RADIATION LABORATORY COUNTING HANDBOOK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Group, Nuclear Instrumentation

1966-10-01

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

Genetic parameters for fecal egg count and body weight in Katahdin lambs

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for fecal egg count at weaning (WFEC) and post weaning (PWFEC), and weights at birth (BW), weaning (WW) and post weaning (PWW) in Katahdin lambs by investigating direct additive, maternal additive, maternal permanent environmental and ma...

Musculoskeletal imaging with a prototype photon-counting detector.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruber, M; Homolka, P; Chmeissani, M; Uffmann, M; Pretterklieber, M; Kainberger, F

2012-01-01

To test a digital imaging X-ray device based on the direct capture of X-ray photons with pixel detectors, which are coupled with photon-counting readout electronics. The chip consists of a matrix of 256 × 256 pixels with a pixel pitch of 55 μm. A monolithic image of 11.2 cm × 7 cm was obtained by the consecutive displacement approach. Images of embalmed anatomical specimens of eight human hands were obtained at four different dose levels (skin dose 2.4, 6, 12, 25 μGy) with the new detector, as well as with a flat-panel detector. The overall rating scores for the evaluated anatomical regions ranged from 5.23 at the lowest dose level, 6.32 at approximately 6 μGy, 6.70 at 12 μGy, to 6.99 at the highest dose level with the photon-counting system. The corresponding rating scores for the flat-panel detector were 3.84, 5.39, 6.64, and 7.34. When images obtained at the same dose were compared, the new system outperformed the conventional DR system at the two lowest dose levels. At the higher dose levels, there were no significant differences between the two systems. The photon-counting detector has great potential to obtain musculoskeletal images of excellent quality at very low dose levels.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Luyi; Kuang Anren; Su Xianyu

2004-01-01

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

High-Throughput Quantification of Bacterial-Cell Interactions Using Virtual Colony Counts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefanie Hoffmann

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The quantification of bacteria in cell culture infection models is of paramount importance for the characterization of host-pathogen interactions and pathogenicity factors involved. The standard to enumerate bacteria in these assays is plating of a dilution series on solid agar and counting of the resulting colony forming units (CFU. In contrast, the virtual colony count (VCC method is a high-throughput compatible alternative with minimized manual input. Based on the recording of quantitative growth kinetics, VCC relates the time to reach a given absorbance threshold to the initial cell count using a series of calibration curves. Here, we adapted the VCC method using the model organism Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium in combination with established cell culture-based infection models. For HeLa infections, a direct side-by-side comparison showed a good correlation of VCC with CFU counting after plating. For MDCK cells and RAW macrophages we found that VCC reproduced the expected phenotypes of different S. Typhimurium mutants. Furthermore, we demonstrated the use of VCC to test the inhibition of Salmonella invasion by the probiotic E. coli strain Nissle 1917. Taken together, VCC provides a flexible, label-free, automation-compatible methodology to quantify bacteria in in vitro infection assays.

The economic value of somatic cell count in South African Holstein ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Somatic cell count (SCC) is of economic importance in dairy production as it directly influences the revenue from the sale of milk. The current study was carried out to determine the economic value of SCC in South African Holstein and Jersey cattle, in order to establish its relative emphasis in breeding objectives. Bulk-tank ...

The Kruskal Count

OpenAIRE

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

2001-01-01

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

SPERM COUNT DISTRIBUTIONS IN FERTILE MEN

Science.gov (United States)

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

Comparative Effectiveness of Two Walking Interventions on Participation, Step Counts, and Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith-McLallen, Aaron; Heller, Debbie; Vernisi, Kristin; Gulick, Diana; Cruz, Samantha; Snyder, Richard L

2017-03-01

To (1) compare the effects of two worksite-based walking interventions on employee participation rates; (2) compare average daily step counts between conditions, and; (3) examine the effects of increases in average daily step counts on biometric and psychologic outcomes. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in which six employer groups were randomly selected and randomly assigned to condition. Four manufacturing worksites and two office-based worksite served as the setting. A total of 474 employees from six employer groups were included. A standard walking program was compared to an enhanced program that included incentives, feedback, competitive challenges, and monthly wellness workshops. Walking was measured by self-reported daily step counts. Survey measures and biometric screenings were administered at baseline and 3, 6, and 9 months after baseline. Analysis used linear mixed models with repeated measures. During 9 months, participants in the enhanced condition averaged 726 more steps per day compared with those in the standard condition (p women (-2.1 lbs.), and reductions in body mass index (-0.41 men, -0.31 women). Higher step counts were also associated with improvements in mood, having more energy, and higher ratings of overall health. An enhanced walking program significantly increases participation rates and daily step counts, which were associated with weight loss and reductions in body mass index.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Klumpp, John; Brandl, Alexander

2015-03-01

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

Particle count monitoring of reverse osmosis water treatment for removal of low-level radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, E.J.; Hoffman, C.R.; Hergert, T.R.

1995-01-01

Laser diode particle counting technology and analytical measurements were used to evaluate a pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment system for removal of particulate matter and sub-picocurie low-level radionuclides. Stormwater mixed with Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) effluent from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), formerly a Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons production facility, were treated. No chemical pretreatment of the water was utilized during this study. The treatment system was staged as follows: multimedia filtration, granular activated carbon adsorption, hollow tube ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis membrane filtration. Various recovery rates and two RO membrane models were tested. Analytical measurements included total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), gross alpha (α) and gross beta (β) activity, uranium isotopes 233/234 U and 238 U, plutonium 239/240 Pu, and americium 241 Am. Particle measurement between 1--150 microns (μ) included differential particle counts (DPC), and total particle counts (TPC) before and after treatment at various sampling points throughout the test. Performance testing showed this treatment system produced a high quality effluent in clarity and purity. Compared to raw water levels, TSS was reduced to below detection of 5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and TDS reduced by 98%. Gross α was essentially removed 100%, and gross β was reduced an average of 94%. Uranium activity was reduced by 99%. TPC between 1-150μ were reduced by an average 99.8% to less than 1,000 counts per milliliter (mL), similar in purity to a good drinking water treatment plant. Raw water levels of 239/240 Pu and 241 Am were below reliable quantitation limits and thus no removal efficiencies could be determined for these species

Rainflow counting revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soeker, H [Deutsches Windenergie-Institut (Germany)

1996-09-01

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

Hanford whole body counting manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1990-06-01

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

Platelet Count and Plateletcrit

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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

Applications of low level liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, J.E.

1983-01-01

Low level liquid scintillation counting is reviewed in terms of its present use and capabilities for measuring low activity samples. New areas of application of the method are discussed with special interest directed to the food industry and environmental monitoring. Advantages offered in the use of a low background liquid scintillation counter for the nuclear power industry and nuclear navy are discussed. Attention is drawn to the need for commercial development of such instrumentation to enable wider use of the method. A user clientele is suggested as is the required technology to create such a counter

77 FR 67261 - Airworthiness Directives; Aeronautical Accessories, Inc., High Landing Gear Forward Crosstube...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-09

... based on a supplemental type certificate (STC). This AD requires counting and recording the total number... on an STC. That NPRM proposed to require creating a component history card or equivalent record and counting and recording the total number of landings for the crosstubes. It also proposed to require...

An Adaptive Smoother for Counting Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrasovs Vladimir; Coulon Romain; Normand Stephane

2013-06-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel James Miller

2014-05-01

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

Association of BPD and IVH with early neutrophil and white counts in VLBW neonates with gestational age <32 weeks

Science.gov (United States)

Palta, Mari; Sadek-Badawi, Mona; Carlton, David P

2008-01-01

Objectives To investigate associations between early low neutrophil count from routine blood samples, white blood count (WBC), pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes for very low birth weight infants (VLBW ≤1500g) with gestational age <32 weeks. Patients and Methods Information was abstracted on all infants admitted to level III NICUs in Wisconsin 2003-2004. 1002 (78%) had differential and corrected total white counts within 2 ½ hours of birth. Data analyses included frequency tables, binary logistic, ordinal logistc and ordinary regression. Results Low neutrophil count (<1000/μL) was strongly associated with low WBC, pregnancy complications and antenatal steroids. Low neutrophil count predicted bronchopulmonary dysplasia severity level (BPD) (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) grade (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-3.8). Conclusions Early neutrophil counts may have multiple causes interfering with their routine use as an inflammatory marker. Nonetheless, low neutrophil count has consistent independent associations with outcomes. PMID:18563166

Counted Sb donors in Si quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-03-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agans Robert P.

2014-06-01

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

Principles of correlation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, J.W.

1975-01-01

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

Recommendations for monitoring avian populations with point counts: a case study in southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vagner Cavarzere

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the northern hemisphere, bird counts have been fundamental in gathering data to understand population trends. Due to the seasonality of the northern hemisphere, counts take place during two clearly defined moments in time: the breeding season (resident birds and winter (after migration. Depending on location, Neotropical birds may breed at any time of year, may or may not migrate, and those patterns are not necessarily synchronous among species. Also in contrast to the northern hemisphere, population trends and the impact of rapid urbanization and deforestation are unknown and unmonitored. Throughout one year, we used point counts to better understand temporal patterns of bird species richness and relative abundance in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, to examine how to implement similar bird counts in tropical America. We counted birds twice each day on 10 point transects (20 points day‑1, separated by 200 m, with a 100 m limited detection radius in a semideciduous tropical forest. Both species richness and bird abundance were greater in the morning, but accumulation curves suggest that longer-duration afternoon counts would reach the same total species as in morning counts. Species richness and bird abundance did not vary seasonally and unique species were counted every month; relatively few species (20% were present in all months. Most (84% known forest species in the area were encountered. We suggest that point counts can work here as they do in the northern hemisphere. We recommend that transects include at least 20 points and that the simplest timing of bird counts would also be seasonal, using timing of migration of austral migrants (and six months later to coordinate counts. We propose that bird counts in Brazil, and elsewhere in Latin America, would provide data to help understand population trends, but would require greater effort than in temperate latitudes due to greater species richness and different dynamics of

Potassium analysis by beta counting using a Geiger-Mueller system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espana, E.; Beneitez, P.; Calderon, T.

1993-01-01

A technique for quantitative analysis of different soils, ceramics, feldspars and natural halide samples is presented, based on the measurement of β-activities using a Geiger-Mueller system. The system was calibrated with KCl, KC 8 H 5 O 4 , KNO 3 and K 2 SO 4 standards and a potassium content of 1% yields a net β-count rate (background subtracted) of about 55 cph. Precision values of less than ±0.4% K can be achieved in counting times of about 4 hours. The results agree with those obtained by means of other more common analytical methods such as flame photometry, atomic absorption and γ-spectrometry. In comparison with these methods, this approach is direct, precise and non-destructive, because the samples do not require prior treatment. (author) 16 refs.; 2 figs.; 6 tabs

Delta count-rate monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1985-01-01

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

DC KIDS COUNT e-Databook Indicators

Science.gov (United States)

DC Action for Children, 2012

2012-01-01

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

Accurate measurement of peripheral blood mononuclear cell concentration using image cytometry to eliminate RBC-induced counting error.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Leo Li-Ying; Laverty, Daniel J; Smith, Tim; Nejad, Parham; Hei, Hillary; Gandhi, Roopali; Kuksin, Dmitry; Qiu, Jean

2013-02-28

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been widely researched in the fields of immunology, infectious disease, oncology, transplantation, hematological malignancy, and vaccine development. Specifically, in immunology research, PBMCs have been utilized to monitor concentration, viability, proliferation, and cytokine production from immune cells, which are critical for both clinical trials and biomedical research. The viability and concentration of isolated PBMCs are traditionally measured by manual counting with trypan blue (TB) using a hemacytometer. One of the common issues of PBMC isolation is red blood cell (RBC) contamination. The RBC contamination can be dependent on the donor sample and/or technical skill level of the operator. RBC contamination in a PBMC sample can introduce error to the measured concentration, which can pass down to future experimental assays performed on these cells. To resolve this issue, RBC lysing protocol can be used to eliminate potential error caused by RBC contamination. In the recent years, a rapid fluorescence-based image cytometry system has been utilized for bright-field and fluorescence imaging analysis of cellular characteristics (Nexcelom Bioscience LLC, Lawrence, MA). The Cellometer image cytometry system has demonstrated the capability of automated concentration and viability detection in disposable counting chambers of unpurified mouse splenocytes and PBMCs stained with acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI) under fluorescence detection. In this work, we demonstrate the ability of Cellometer image cytometry system to accurately measure PBMC concentration, despite RBC contamination, by comparison of five different total PBMC counting methods: (1) manual counting of trypan blue-stained PBMCs in hemacytometer, (2) manual counting of PBMCs in bright-field images, (3) manual counting of acetic acid lysing of RBCs with TB-stained PBMCs, (4) automated counting of acetic acid lysing of RBCs with PI-stained PBMCs

In vivo counting of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, H.E.

1985-03-01

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

Resonant count diagram and solar g mode oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenther, D.B.; Demarque, P.

1984-01-01

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

Short communication: Environmental mastitis pathogen counts in freestalls bedded with composted and fresh recycled manure solids.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, K J; Hogan, J S

2016-02-01

An experiment was conducted to compare bacterial counts of environmental mastitis pathogens in composted recycled manure solids bedding with those in fresh recycled manure solids. Eighteen Holstein cows were housed in 1 pen with 18 stalls. One row of 9 freestalls included mattresses and was bedded weekly with composted recycled manure solids. The second row of 9 freestalls included mattresses and was bedded weekly with fresh recycled manure solids. The back one-third of stalls toward the alleyway was covered in 25 to 50 mm of bedding. Samples were taken from the back one-third of 4 stalls for both treatments on d 0, 1, 2, and 6 of each week. After 3 wk, bedding treatments were switched between rows, making the total duration 6 wk. Mean total gram-negative bacterial counts were approximately 0.5 log10 cfu/g of dry matter lower in the composted recycled manure solids on d 0 compared with fresh recycled manure solids. Klebsiella species, coliform, and Streptococcus species counts were at least 1.0 log10 cfu/g of dry matter lower in composted compared with fresh recycled manure solids on d 0. Only gram-negative bacterial counts on d 1 were reduced in composted recycled manure solids compared with fresh recycled manure solids. Differences were not observed between treatments in gram-negative bacterial, coliform, Klebsiella species, or Streptococcus species counts on d 2 and 6. Ash content was higher in composted recycled manure solids compared with fresh recycled manure solids on d 0, 1, 2, and 6. Despite the increase in ash after composting, bacterial counts of mastitis pathogens in composted recycled manure solids were comparable with those in fresh recycled manure when used as freestall bedding. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alpha scintillation radon counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas, H.F. Jr.

1977-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

Böhning, Dankmar; Kuhnert, Ronny

2006-12-01

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

Reassessment of a combination of cerebrospinal fluid scintigraphy and nasal pledget counts in patients with suspected rhinorrhea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kosuda, Shigeru; Arai, Shinji; Hohshito, Yoshio; Tokumitsu, Hideyuki; Kusano, Shoichi; Ishihara, Shoichiro; Shima, Katsuji [National Defence Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama (Japan)

1998-07-01

A combination study of cerebrospinal fluid scintigraphy and nasal pledget counts was performed using 37 MBq of {sup 111}In-DTPA in 12 patients with suspected rhinorrhea. A pledget was inserted and dwelled in each nasal cavity for 6 hours, with the patient prone during at least 30 minutes. A total of 18 studies was implemented and nasal pledget counting method successfully diagnosed all of CSF rhinorrhea. Diagnosis was possible when pledget counts were greater than 1 kcpm. In patients with persistent, intermittent and occult/no nasal discharge, rhinorrhea was found in 100% (5/5), 60% (3/5), 25% (2/8), respectively. Two cases only exhibited positive scintigraphy. MRI or CT cisternography should be first performed in patients with persistent discharge, but in patients with intermittent/occult discharge pledget counting method might take priority of other diagnostic modalities. In conclusion, nasal pledget counting method is a simple and useful tool for detecting rhinorrhea. (author)

Acetone enhances the direct analysis of total condensed tannins in plant tissues by the butanol-HCl-iron assay

Science.gov (United States)

The butanol-HCl spectrophotometric assay is widely used to quantify extractable and insoluble forms of condensed tannin (CT, syn. proanthocyanidin) in foods, feeds, and foliage of herbaceous and woody plants. However, this method underestimates total CT content when applied directly to plant materia...

Directional Total Generalized Variation Regularization for Impulse Noise Removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kongskov, Rasmus Dalgas; Dong, Yiqiu

2017-01-01

this regularizer for directional images is highly advantageous. In order to estimate directions in impulse noise corrupted images, which is much more challenging compared to Gaussian noise corrupted images, we introduce a new Fourier transform-based method. Numerical experiments show that this method is more...

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-05-01

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

Sample to answer visualization pipeline for low-cost point-of-care blood cell counting

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Suzanne; Naidoo, Thegaran; Davies, Emlyn; Fourie, Louis; Nxumalo, Zandile; Swart, Hein; Marais, Philip; Land, Kevin; Roux, Pieter

2015-03-01

We present a visualization pipeline from sample to answer for point-of-care blood cell counting applications. Effective and low-cost point-of-care medical diagnostic tests provide developing countries and rural communities with accessible healthcare solutions [1], and can be particularly beneficial for blood cell count tests, which are often the starting point in the process of diagnosing a patient [2]. The initial focus of this work is on total white and red blood cell counts, using a microfluidic cartridge [3] for sample processing. Analysis of the processed samples has been implemented by means of two main optical visualization systems developed in-house: 1) a fluidic operation analysis system using high speed video data to determine volumes, mixing efficiency and flow rates, and 2) a microscopy analysis system to investigate homogeneity and concentration of blood cells. Fluidic parameters were derived from the optical flow [4] as well as color-based segmentation of the different fluids using a hue-saturation-value (HSV) color space. Cell count estimates were obtained using automated microscopy analysis and were compared to a widely accepted manual method for cell counting using a hemocytometer [5]. The results using the first iteration microfluidic device [3] showed that the most simple - and thus low-cost - approach for microfluidic component implementation was not adequate as compared to techniques based on manual cell counting principles. An improved microfluidic design has been developed to incorporate enhanced mixing and metering components, which together with this work provides the foundation on which to successfully implement automated, rapid and low-cost blood cell counting tests.

Blood Count Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic

Science.gov (United States)

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-11-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okocha Chide

2015-12-01

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

Automatic counting of fission fragments tracks using the gas permeation technique

CERN Document Server

Yamazaki, I M

1999-01-01

An automatic counting system for fission tracks induced in a polycarbonate plastic Makrofol KG (10 mu m thickness) is described. The method is based on the gas transport mechanism proposed by Knudsen, where the gas permeability for a porous membrane is expected to be directly related to its track density. In this work, nitrogen permeabilities for several Makrofol films, with different fission track densities, have been measured using an adequate gas permeation system. The fission tracks were produced by irradiating Makrofol foils with a 252Cf calibrated source in a 2 pi geometry. A calibration curve fission track number versus nitrogen permeability has been obtained, for track densities higher than 1000/cm sup 2 , where the spark gap technique and the visual methods employing a microscope, are not appropriate for track counting.

Direct measurement of the total decay width of the top quark.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaltonen, T; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Apollinari, G; Appel, J A; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Asaadi, J; Ashmanskas, W; Auerbach, B; Aurisano, A; Azfar, F; Badgett, W; Bae, T; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Barria, P; Bartos, P; Bauce, M; Bedeschi, F; Behari, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Bhatti, A; Bland, K R; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brigliadori, L; Bromberg, C; Brucken, E; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Butti, P; Buzatu, A; Calamba, A; Camarda, S; Campanelli, M; Canelli, F; Carls, B; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carrillo, S; Casal, B; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavaliere, V; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Clark, A; Clarke, C; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Corbo, M; Cordelli, M; Cox, C A; Cox, D J; Cremonesi, M; Cruz, D; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; d'Ascenzo, N; Datta, M; de Barbaro, P; Demortier, L; Deninno, M; D'Errico, M; Devoto, F; Di Canto, A; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; Donati, S; D'Onofrio, M; Dorigo, M; Driutti, A; Ebina, K; Edgar, R; Elagin, A; Erbacher, R; Errede, S; Esham, B; Farrington, S; Fernández Ramos, J P; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Forrest, R; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Frisch, H; Funakoshi, Y; Galloni, C; Garfinkel, A F; Garosi, P; Gerberich, H; Gerchtein, E; Giagu, S; Giakoumopoulou, V; Gibson, K; Ginsburg, C M; Giokaris, N; Giromini, P; Giurgiu, G; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldin, D; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González López, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Gramellini, E; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Group, R C; Guimaraes da Costa, J; Hahn, S R; Han, J Y; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, M; Harr, R F; Harrington-Taber, T; Hatakeyama, K; Hays, C; Heinrich, J; Herndon, M; Hocker, A; Hong, Z; Hopkins, W; Hou, S; Hughes, R E; Husemann, U; Hussein, M; Huston, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ivanov, A; James, E; Jang, D; Jayatilaka, B; Jeon, E J; Jindariani, S; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Junk, T R; Kambeitz, M; Kamon, T; Karchin, P E; Kasmi, A; Kato, Y; Ketchum, W; Keung, J; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S H; Kim, S B; Kim, Y J; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirby, M; Knoepfel, K; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Kotwal, A V; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Kruse, M; Kuhr, T; Kurata, M; Laasanen, A T; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lannon, K; Latino, G; Lee, H S; Lee, J S; Leo, S; Leone, S; Lewis, J D; Limosani, A; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Liu, H; Liu, Q; Liu, T; Lockwitz, S; Loginov, A; Lucchesi, D; Lucà, A; Lueck, J; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Madrak, R; Maestro, P; Malik, S; Manca, G; Manousakis-Katsikakis, A; Marchese, L; Margaroli, F; Marino, P; Martínez, M; Matera, K; Mattson, M E; Mazzacane, A; Mazzanti, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Mesropian, C; Miao, T; Mietlicki, D; Mitra, A; Miyake, H; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Moon, C S; Moore, R; Morello, M J; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Murat, P; Mussini, M; Nachtman, J; Nagai, Y; Naganoma, J; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Nett, J; Neu, C; Nigmanov, T; Nodulman, L; Noh, S Y; Norniella, O; Oakes, L; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Orava, R; Ortolan, L; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Palni, P; Papadimitriou, V; Parker, W; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Pianori, E; Pilot, J; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Poprocki, S; Potamianos, K; Pranko, A; Prokoshin, F; Ptohos, F; Punzi, G; Ranjan, N; Redondo Fernández, I; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodriguez, T; Rolli, S; Ronzani, M; Roser, R; Rosner, J L; Ruffini, F; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Sakumoto, W K; Sakurai, Y; Santi, L; Sato, K; Saveliev, V; Savoy-Navarro, A; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, E E; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scuri, F; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sforza, F; Shalhout, S Z; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Shimojima, M; Shochet, M; Shreyber-Tecker, I; Simonenko, A; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Song, H; Sorin, V; St Denis, R; Stancari, M; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Sudo, Y; Sukhanov, A; Suslov, I; Takemasa, K; Takeuchi, Y; Tang, J; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Thom, J; Thomson, E; Thukral, V; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Totaro, P; Trovato, M; Ukegawa, F; Uozumi, S; Vázquez, F; Velev, G; Vellidis, C; Vernieri, C; Vidal, M; Vilar, R; Vizán, J; Vogel, M; Volpi, G; Wagner, P; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Waters, D; Wester, W C; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wilbur, S; Williams, H H; Wilson, J S; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, H; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wu, Z; Yamamoto, K; Yamato, D; Yang, T; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W-M; Yeh, G P; Yi, K; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Zanetti, A M; Zeng, Y; Zhou, C; Zucchelli, S

2013-11-15

We present a measurement of the total decay width of the top quark using events with top-antitop quark pair candidates reconstructed in the final state with one charged lepton and four or more hadronic jets. We use the full Tevatron run II data set of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV proton-antiproton collisions recorded by the CDF II detector. The top quark mass and the mass of the hadronically decaying W boson are reconstructed for each event and compared with distributions derived from simulated signal and background samples to extract the top quark width (Γtop) and the energy scale of the calorimeter jets with in situ calibration. For a top quark mass Mtop=172.5  GeV/c2, we find 1.10<Γtop<4.05  GeV at 68% confidence level, which is in agreement with the standard model expectation of 1.3 GeV and is the most precise direct measurement of the top quark width to date.

Correction for decay during counting in gamma spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nir-El, Y.

2013-01-01

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

Interpretation of galaxy counts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinsely, B.M.

1980-01-01

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

Radionuclide stroke count ratios for assessment of right and left ventricular volume overload in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrish, M.D.; Graham, T.P. Jr.; Born, M.L.; Jones, J.P.; Boucek, R.J. Jr.; Artman, M.; Partain, C.L.

1983-01-01

The ratio of left ventricular to right ventricular stroke counts measured by radionuclide angiography has been used in adults to estimate the severity of left-sided valvular regurgitation. The validation of this technique in children for assessment of right and left ventricular volume overload is reported herein. Radionuclide stroke count ratios in 60 children aged 0.5 to 19 years (mean 11) were determined. Based on their diagnoses, the patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) normal--40 patients with no shunts or valvular regurgitation, (2) left ventricular volume overload--13 patients with mitral or aortic regurgitation, or both, and (3) right ventricular volume overload--7 patients, 2 with severe tricuspid regurgitation, 3 with atrial septal defects, and 2 with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. The radionuclide stroke count ratio clearly differentiated these groups (p less than 0.05): normal patients had a stroke count ratio of 1.04 +/- 0.17 (mean +/- 1 standard deviation), the left ventricular volume overload group had a stroke count ratio of 2.43 +/- 0.86, and the right ventricular volume overload group had a stroke count ratio of 0.44 +/- 0.17. In 22 of our 60 patients, radionuclide stroke count ratios were compared with cineangiographic stroke volume ratios, resulting in a correlation coefficient of 0.88. It is concluded that radionuclide ventriculography is an excellent tool for qualitative and quantitative assessment of valvular regurgitation in children

Daily step count predicts acute exacerbations in a US cohort with COPD.

Science.gov (United States)

Moy, Marilyn L; Teylan, Merilee; Weston, Nicole A; Gagnon, David R; Garshick, Eric

2013-01-01

COPD is characterized by variability in exercise capacity and physical activity (PA), and acute exacerbations (AEs). Little is known about the relationship between daily step count, a direct measure of PA, and the risk of AEs, including hospitalizations. In an observational cohort study of 169 persons with COPD, we directly assessed PA with the StepWatch Activity Monitor, an ankle-worn accelerometer that measures daily step count. We also assessed exercise capacity with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and patient-reported PA with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire Activity Score (SGRQ-AS). AEs and COPD-related hospitalizations were assessed and validated prospectively over a median of 16 months. Mean daily step count was 5804±3141 steps. Over 209 person-years of observation, there were 263 AEs (incidence rate 1.3±1.6 per person-year) and 116 COPD-related hospitalizations (incidence rate 0.56±1.09 per person-year). Adjusting for FEV1 % predicted and prednisone use for AE in previous year, for each 1000 fewer steps per day walked at baseline, there was an increased rate of AEs (rate ratio 1.07; 95%CI = 1.003-1.15) and COPD-related hospitalizations (rate ratio 1.24; 95%CI = 1.08-1.42). There was a significant linear trend of decreasing daily step count by quartiles and increasing rate ratios for AEs (P = 0.008) and COPD-related hospitalizations (P = 0.003). Each 30-meter decrease in 6MWT distance was associated with an increased rate ratio of 1.07 (95%CI = 1.01-1.14) for AEs and 1.18 (95%CI = 1.07-1.30) for COPD-related hospitalizations. Worsening of SGRQ-AS by 4 points was associated with an increased rate ratio of 1.05 (95%CI = 1.01-1.09) for AEs and 1.10 (95%CI = 1.02-1.17) for COPD-related hospitalizations. Lower daily step count, lower 6MWT distance, and worse SGRQ-AS predict future AEs and COPD-related hospitalizations, independent of pulmonary function and previous AE history. These results support the importance of

Ion counting method and it's operational characteristics in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Toshihiro

1976-01-01

Ion counting method with continuous channel electron multiplier which affords the direct detection of very small ion currents and it's operational characteristics were studied in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Then this method was applied to the single ion detection technique of GC-MS. A detection limit was measured, using various standard samples of low level concentration. (auth.)

Confidence Intervals for Asbestos Fiber Counts: Approximate Negative Binomial Distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartley, David; Slaven, James; Harper, Martin

2017-03-01

The negative binomial distribution is adopted for analyzing asbestos fiber counts so as to account for both the sampling errors in capturing only a finite number of fibers and the inevitable human variation in identifying and counting sampled fibers. A simple approximation to this distribution is developed for the derivation of quantiles and approximate confidence limits. The success of the approximation depends critically on the use of Stirling's expansion to sufficient order, on exact normalization of the approximating distribution, on reasonable perturbation of quantities from the normal distribution, and on accurately approximating sums by inverse-trapezoidal integration. Accuracy of the approximation developed is checked through simulation and also by comparison to traditional approximate confidence intervals in the specific case that the negative binomial distribution approaches the Poisson distribution. The resulting statistics are shown to relate directly to early research into the accuracy of asbestos sampling and analysis. Uncertainty in estimating mean asbestos fiber concentrations given only a single count is derived. Decision limits (limits of detection) and detection limits are considered for controlling false-positive and false-negative detection assertions and are compared to traditional limits computed assuming normal distributions. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society 2017.

Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Hagai; Jørgensen, Niels; Martino-Andrade, Anderson; Mendiola, Jaime; Weksler-Derri, Dan; Mindlis, Irina; Pinotti, Rachel; Swan, Shanna H

2017-11-01

Reported declines in sperm counts remain controversial today and recent trends are unknown. A definitive meta-analysis is critical given the predictive value of sperm count for fertility, morbidity and mortality. To provide a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of recent trends in sperm counts as measured by sperm concentration (SC) and total sperm count (TSC), and their modification by fertility and geographic group. PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for English language studies of human SC published in 1981-2013. Following a predefined protocol 7518 abstracts were screened and 2510 full articles reporting primary data on SC were reviewed. A total of 244 estimates of SC and TSC from 185 studies of 42 935 men who provided semen samples in 1973-2011 were extracted for meta-regression analysis, as well as information on years of sample collection and covariates [fertility group ('Unselected by fertility' versus 'Fertile'), geographic group ('Western', including North America, Europe Australia and New Zealand versus 'Other', including South America, Asia and Africa), age, ejaculation abstinence time, semen collection method, method of measuring SC and semen volume, exclusion criteria and indicators of completeness of covariate data]. The slopes of SC and TSC were estimated as functions of sample collection year using both simple linear regression and weighted meta-regression models and the latter were adjusted for pre-determined covariates and modification by fertility and geographic group. Assumptions were examined using multiple sensitivity analyses and nonlinear models. SC declined significantly between 1973 and 2011 (slope in unadjusted simple regression models -0.70 million/ml/year; 95% CI: -0.72 to -0.69; P regression analysis reports a significant decline in sperm counts (as measured by SC and TSC) between 1973 and 2011, driven by a 50-60% decline among men unselected by fertility from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Because

Determination of total plutonium content in spent nuclear fuel assemblies with the differential die-away self-interrogation instrument

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaplan, Alexis C. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 500 S State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Henzl, Vladimir; Menlove, Howard O.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Belian, Anthony P. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Flaska, Marek; Pozzi, Sara A. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 500 S State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2014-11-11

As a part of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel project, we simulate the response of the Differential Die-away Self-Interrogation (DDSI) instrument to determine total elemental plutonium content in an assayed spent nuclear fuel assembly (SFA). We apply recently developed concepts that relate total plutonium mass with SFA multiplication and passive neutron count rate. In this work, the multiplication of the SFA is determined from the die-away time in the early time domain of the Rossi-Alpha distributions measured directly by the DDSI instrument. We utilize MCNP to test the method against 44 pressurized water reactor SFAs from a simulated spent fuel library with a wide dynamic range of characteristic parameters such as initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time. Under ideal conditions, discounting possible errors of a real world measurement, a root mean square agreement between true and determined total Pu mass of 2.1% is achieved.

Early effects of treatment with radium and cobalt-60 gamma radiation on the proportions and absolute counts of T and B lymphocytes in peripheral blood of women with cervical carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pluzanska, A.; Robak, T.; Kuchowicz, W.; Bartuzel, T.; Studencki, E.; Zadrozna, O.; Mazurowa, A.

1977-01-01

In 20 women with cervical carcinoma the T and B lymphocyte counts were determined in peripheral blood. The determinations were carried out before starting treatment and immediately after radium therapy in a mean dose of 6573 mgh and then after full therapeutic dose of cobalt-60 radiation of 4000 R. For identification of T lymphocytes the rosette E test was used and lymphocytes B were identified by means of the EAC rosette test. Presence of immunoglobulins on lymphocytes B was determined as well. In women with cervical carcinoma the total lymphocyte count in 1 mm 3 of blood, the proportions and absolute counts of T and B lymphocytes were not different from those in healthy women. Immediately after radium therapy the lymphocyte count in peripheral blood fell which was due mainly to a fall of the total count and in the proportion of B lymphocytes. The proportion of lymphocytes T was unchanged and their quantitative fall was statistically not significant. After application of the total therapeutic dose of cobalt-60 radiation a further fall of lymphocyte count was observed, due to a fall of the absolute count of T and B lymphocytes. Their proportions were unchanged. (author)

A counting-card circuit based on PCI bus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2004-01-01

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

Angles of total shifts and angles of maxumum crop during development of faces diagonal to seam strike directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Н. А. Колесник

2017-06-01

Full Text Available When predicting deformations and determining measures to protect underworked objects, angular parameters are used: the boundary angles, the angles of total shift, the angle of maximum crop. The values of these angular parameters are given in the normative documents, but only for sections across and along the strike of the formation. However, at present, longwall face mining is mainly being carried out along a diagonal direction to the strike of the formation. In connection with this, the determination of the values of the angular parameters for such conditions is a topical task.The method of determination and the analytical dependences of the angles of total shifts and angles of maximum crop in sections of the longitudinal and transverse axes of coal-mining faces developed along diagonal directions to the strike of the formation are proposed. These angular parameters are used for prognosis of deformations of the earth's surface and for determining the characteristic zones of influence of mine workings on the local places.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2016-06-15

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

Recursive algorithms for phylogenetic tree counting.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-10-28

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

Prediction of facial height, width, and ratio from thumbprints ridge count and its possible applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawan Hassan Adamu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The fingerprints and face recognition are two biometric processes that comprise methods for uniquely recognizing humans based on certain number of intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. The objectives of the study were to predict the facial height (FH, facial width, and ratios from thumbprints ridge count and its possible applications. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 457 participants were recruited. A fingerprint live scanner was used to capture the plain thumbprint. The facial photograph was captured using a digital camera. Pearson's correlation analysis was used for the relationship between thumbprint ridge density and facial linear dimensions. Step-wise linear multiple regression analysis was used to predict facial distances from thumbprint ridge density. The result showed that in males the right ulnar ridge count correlates negatively with lower facial width (LFW, upper facial width/upper FH (UFW/UFH, lower FH/FH (LFH/FH, and positively with UFH and UFW/LFW. The right and left proximal ridge counts correlate with LFW and UFH, respectively. In males, the right ulnar ridge count predicts LFW, UFW/LFW, UFW/UFH, and LFH/FH. Special upper face height I, LFW, height of lower third of the face, UFW/LFW was predicted by right radial ridge counts. LFH, height of lower third of the face, and LFH/FH were predicted from left ulnar ridge count whereas left proximal ridge count predicted LFW. In females only, the special upper face height I was predicted by right ulnar ridge count. In conclusion, thumbprint ridge counts can be used to predict FH, width, ratios among Hausa population. The possible application of fingerprints in facial characterization for used in human biology, paleodemography, and forensic science was demonstrated.

Photon-counting image sensors

CERN Document Server

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

2017-01-01

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

Seasonal fluctuations of airborne pollen grains count and its correlation with climatic factors from khairpur; sindh, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perveen, A.; Khan, M.

2014-01-01

This is the first aerobiological survey of Khairpur, Sindh. The survey was conducted from January-December, 2011 using Burkard's Seven Days Volumetric Spore trap. A total of 4559 pollen/m3 were recorded belonging to 33 plant families and 41 pollen types. The major pollen types were Poaceae (13.84%), Amaranthaceae/ Chenopodiaceae (10.40%), Cyperus rotundus (7.61%); Prosopis juliflora (6.19%), Brassica campestris (4.91%), Typha angustifolia (4.89%), Tamarix indica (4.43%), Eucalyptus globules (4.28%), Conocarpus erectus (3.73%), Asteraceae (3.01%), Guaicum officinale (2.94%), Azadirachta indica (2.74%), Malvaceae (2.15%) and Phoenix dactylifera (1.84%) constituting more than 70% of total pollen catch. The highest pollen grains concentration was observed in May-2011 with 880 pollen/m3 count while second highest pollen concentration was detected in September 2011 with 682 pollen/m3. The lowest count was found in December- 2011. Climatic factors like wind speed, average temperature, humidity and rainfall were correlated with the pollen counts. Different pollen types showed significant positive correlation with average temperature while negative correlation with humidity and wind speed. (author)

Meningiomas: Objective assessment of proliferative indices by immunohistochemistry and automated counting method.

Science.gov (United States)

Chavali, Pooja; Uppin, Megha S; Uppin, Shantveer G; Challa, Sundaram

2017-01-01

The most reliable histological correlate of recurrence risk in meningiomas is increased mitotic activity. Proliferative index with Ki-67 immunostaining is a helpful adjunct to manual counting. However, both show considerable inter-observer variability. A new immunohistochemical method for counting mitotic figures, using antibody against the phosphohistone H3 (PHH3) protein was introduced. Similarly, a computer based automated counting for Ki-67 labelling index (LI) is available. To study the use of these new techniques in the objective assessment of proliferation indices in meningiomas. This was a retrospective study of intracranial meningiomas diagnosed during the year 2013.The hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) sections and immunohistochemistry (IHC) with Ki-67 were reviewed by two pathologists. Photomicrographs of the representative areas were subjected to Ki-67 analysis by Immunoratio (IR) software. Mean Ki-67 LI, both manual and by IR were calculated. IHC with PHH3 was performed. PHH3 positive nuclei were counted and mean values calculated. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. A total of 64 intracranial meningiomas were diagnosed. Evaluation on H and E, PHH3, Ki-67 LI (both manual and IR) were done in 32 cases (22 grade I and 10 grade II meningiomas). Statistically significant correlation was seen between the mitotic count in each grade and PHH3 values and also between the grade of the tumor and values of Ki-67 and PHH3. Both the techniques used in the study had advantage over, as well as, correlated well with the existing techniques and hence, can be applied to routine use.

Atom counting in HAADF STEM using a statistical model-based approach: methodology, possibilities, and inherent limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

De Backer, A; Martinez, G T; Rosenauer, A; Van Aert, S

2013-11-01

In the present paper, a statistical model-based method to count the number of atoms of monotype crystalline nanostructures from high resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images is discussed in detail together with a thorough study on the possibilities and inherent limitations. In order to count the number of atoms, it is assumed that the total scattered intensity scales with the number of atoms per atom column. These intensities are quantitatively determined using model-based statistical parameter estimation theory. The distribution describing the probability that intensity values are generated by atomic columns containing a specific number of atoms is inferred on the basis of the experimental scattered intensities. Finally, the number of atoms per atom column is quantified using this estimated probability distribution. The number of atom columns available in the observed STEM image, the number of components in the estimated probability distribution, the width of the components of the probability distribution, and the typical shape of a criterion to assess the number of components in the probability distribution directly affect the accuracy and precision with which the number of atoms in a particular atom column can be estimated. It is shown that single atom sensitivity is feasible taking the latter aspects into consideration. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neutron coincidence counting with digital signal processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagi, Janos; Dechamp, Luc; Dransart, Pascal; Dzbikowicz, Zdzislaw; Dufour, Jean-Luc; Holzleitner, Ludwig; Huszti, Joseph; Looman, Marc; Marin Ferrer, Montserrat; Lambert, Thierry; Peerani, Paolo; Rackham, Jamie; Swinhoe, Martyn; Tobin, Steve; Weber, Anne-Laure; Wilson, Mark

2009-01-01

Neutron coincidence counting is a widely adopted nondestructive assay (NDA) technique used in nuclear safeguards to measure the mass of nuclear material in samples. Nowadays, most neutron-counting systems are based on the original-shift-register technology, like the (ordinary or multiplicity) Shift-Register Analyser. The analogue signal from the He-3 tubes is processed by an amplifier/single channel analyser (SCA) producing a train of TTL pulses that are fed into an electronic unit that performs the time- correlation analysis. Following the suggestion of the main inspection authorities (IAEA, Euratom and the French Ministry of Industry), several research laboratories have started to study and develop prototypes of neutron-counting systems with PC-based processing. Collaboration in this field among JRC, IRSN and LANL has been established within the framework of the ESARDA-NDA working group. Joint testing campaigns have been performed in the JRC PERLA laboratory, using different equipment provided by the three partners. One area of development is the use of high-speed PCs and pulse acquisition electronics that provide a time stamp (LIST-Mode Acquisition) for every digital pulse. The time stamp data can be processed directly during acquisition or saved on a hard disk. The latter method has the advantage that measurement data can be analysed with different values for parameters like predelay and gate width, without repeating the acquisition. Other useful diagnostic information, such as die-away time and dead time, can also be extracted from this stored data. A second area is the development of 'virtual instruments.' These devices, in which the pulse-processing system can be embedded in the neutron counter itself and sends counting data to a PC, can give increased data-acquisition speeds. Either or both of these developments could give rise to the next generation of instrumentation for improved practical neutron-correlation measurements. The paper will describe the

Platelet counting using the Coulter electronic counter.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggleton, M J; Sharp, A A

1963-03-01

A method for counting platelets in dilutions of platelet-rich plasm using the Coulter electronic counter is described.(1) The results obtained show that such platelet counts are at least as accurate as the best methods of visual counting. The various technical difficulties encountered are discussed.

Automated uranium analysis by delayed-neutron counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunzendorf, H.; Loevborg, L.; Christiansen, E.M.

1980-10-01

Automated uranium analysis by fission-induced delayed-neutron counting is described. A short description is given of the instrumentation including transfer system, process control, irradiation and counting sites, and computer operations. Characteristic parameters of the facility (sample preparations, background, and standards) are discussed. A sensitivity of 817 +- 22 counts per 10 -6 g U is found using irradiation, delay, and counting times of 20 s, 5 s, and 10 s, respectively. Presicion is generally less than 1% for normal geological samples. Critical level and detection limits for 7.5 g samples are 8 and 16 ppb, respectively. The importance of some physical and elemental interferences are outlined. Dead-time corrections of measured count rates are necessary and a polynomical expression is used for count rates up to 10 5 . The presence of rare earth elements is regarded as the most important elemental interference. A typical application is given and other areas of application are described. (auther)

New apparatus for direct counting of β particles from two-dimensional gels and an application to changes in protein synthesis due to cell density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, H.L.; Puck, T.T.; Shera, E.B.

1987-07-01

A new method is described for scanning two-dimensional gels by the direct counting of β particles instead of autoradiography. The methodology is described; results are compared with autoradiographic results; and data are presented demonstrating changed patterns of protein synthesis accompanying changes in cell density. The method is rapid and permits identification of differences in protein abundance of approximately 10% for a substantial fraction of the more prominent proteins. A modulation effect of more than 5 standard deviations, accompanying contact inhibition of cell growth, is shown to occur for an appreciable number of these proteins. The method promises to be applicable to a variety of biochemical and genetic experiments designed to delineate changes in protein synthesis accompanying changes in genome, molecular environment, history, and state of differentiation of the cell populations studied. 13 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs

Risk factors associated with bulk tank standard plate count, bulk tank coliform count, and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus on organic and conventional dairy farms in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Cicconi-Hogan, K M; Gamroth, M; Richert, R; Ruegg, P L; Stiglbauer, K E; Schukken, Y H

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the association of bulk tank milk standard plate counts, bulk tank coliform counts (CC), and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in bulk tank milk with various management and farm characteristics on organic and conventional dairy farms throughout New York, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Data from size-matched organic farms (n=192), conventional nongrazing farms (n=64), and conventional grazing farms (n=36) were collected at a single visit for each farm. Of the 292 farms visited, 290 bulk tank milk samples were collected. Statistical models were created using data from all herds in the study, as well as exclusively for the organic subset of herds. Because of incomplete data, 267 of 290 herds were analyzed for total herd modeling, and 173 of 190 organic herds were analyzed for the organic herd modeling. Overall, more bulk tanks from organic farms had Staph. aureus cultured from them (62% of organic herds, 42% conventional nongrazing herds, and 43% of conventional grazing herds), whereas fewer organic herds had a high CC, defined as ≥50 cfu/mL, than conventional farms in the study. A high standard plate count (×1,000 cfu/mL) was associated with decreased body condition score of adult cows and decreased milk production in both models. Several variables were significant only in the model created using all herds or only in organic herds. The presence of Staph. aureus in the bulk tank milk was associated with fewer people treating mastitis, increased age of housing, and a higher percentage of cows with 3 or fewer teats in both the organic and total herd models. The Staph. aureus total herd model also showed a relationship with fewer first-lactation animals, higher hock scores, and less use of automatic takeoffs at milking. High bulk tank CC was related to feeding a total mixed ration and using natural service in nonlactating heifers in both models. Overall, attentive management and use of outside resources were useful with regard to CC

Count rate effect in proportional counters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednarek, B.

1980-01-01

A new concept is presented explaining changes in spectrometric parameters of proportional counters which occur due to varying count rate. The basic feature of this concept is that the gas gain of the counter remains constant in a wide range of count rate and that the decrease in the pulse amplitude and the detorioration of the energy resolution observed are the results of changes in the shape of original current pulses generated in the active volume of the counter. In order to confirm the validity of this statement, measurements of the gas amplification factor have been made in a wide count rate range. It is shown that above a certain critical value the gas gain depends on both the operating voltage and the count rate. (author)

Measurement of total-body cobalt-57 vitamin B12 absorption with a gamma camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardarelli, J.A.; Slingerland, D.W.; Burrows, B.A.; Miller, A.

1985-01-01

Previously described techniques for the measurement of the absorption of [ 57 Co]vitamin B 12 by total-body counting have required an iron room equipped with scanning or multiple detectors. The present study uses simplifying modifications which make the technique more available and include the use of static geometry, the measurement of body thickness to correct for attenuation, a simple formula to convert the capsule-in-air count to a 100% absorption count, and finally the use of an adequately shielded gamma camera obviating the need of an iron room

Resonance ionization spectroscopy: Counting noble gas atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1981-01-01

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

Counting and Surveying Homeless Youth: Recommendations from YouthCount 2.0!, a Community-Academic Partnership.

Science.gov (United States)

Narendorf, Sarah C; Santa Maria, Diane M; Ha, Yoonsook; Cooper, Jenna; Schieszler, Christine

2016-12-01

Communities across the United States are increasing efforts to find and count homeless youth. This paper presents findings and lessons learned from a community/academic partnership to count homeless youth and conduct an in depth research survey focused on the health needs of this population. Over a 4 week recruitment period, 632 youth were counted and 420 surveyed. Methodological successes included an extended counting period, broader inclusion criteria to capture those in unstable housing, use of student volunteers in health training programs, recruiting from magnet events for high risk youth, and partnering with community agencies to disseminate findings. Strategies that did not facilitate recruitment included respondent driven sampling, street canvassing beyond known hotspots, and having community agencies lead data collection. Surveying was successful in gathering data on reasons for homelessness, history in public systems of care, mental health history and needs, sexual risk behaviors, health status, and substance use. Youth were successfully surveyed across housing types including shelters or transitional housing (n = 205), those in unstable housing such as doubled up with friends or acquaintances (n = 75), and those who were literally on the streets or living in a place not meant for human habitation (n = 140). Most youth completed the self-report survey and provided detailed information about risk behaviors. Recommendations to combine research data collection with counting are presented.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2015-11-15

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

Quantitative determination of 14C(-)-epicatechin and 14C-rutin on the Uncaria plant by a two-step heterogeneous thin-layer chromatographic-liquid scintillation counting procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, N.P.; Law, K.H.

1987-01-01

A simple, rapid, precise and relatively inexpensive thin-layer chromatographic method coupled to heterogeneous liquid scintillation counting procedure was used for the quantitation of radioactivity of biologically synthesized ( 14 C) flavonoids and other phenolic plant constituents. The two flavonoids, namely ( 14 C) rutin and ( 14 C) (-) -epicatechin, extracted from the plant Uncaria elliptica Roxb were separated on plastic thin-layer plates coated with silica gel using the two solvent systems : acetonitrile-acetic acid-water (8.5:0.5:1.5) and ethyl acetate-acetic acid-water (3:1:3). The respective spots on the plates that corresponded to the two flavonoids were cut out and eluted with 3 ml aliquots of methanol followed by direct addition of scintillation flour. This method gave 99 +- 2 per cent of the total count indicating the excellent elution procedure. The results were reproducible and showed linearity over the range of 0 - 35000 dpm. The elution efficiency by several other organic solvents were also investigated. (author). 19 refs., 4 tables

CalCOFI Larvae Counts Positive Tows

Data.gov (United States)

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

Direct Detection Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy: A Method to Push the Limits of Resolution and Sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, James L; Lang, Andrew C; Leff, Asher C; Longo, Paolo; Trevor, Colin; Twesten, Ray D; Taheri, Mitra L

2017-08-15

In many cases, electron counting with direct detection sensors offers improved resolution, lower noise, and higher pixel density compared to conventional, indirect detection sensors for electron microscopy applications. Direct detection technology has previously been utilized, with great success, for imaging and diffraction, but potential advantages for spectroscopy remain unexplored. Here we compare the performance of a direct detection sensor operated in counting mode and an indirect detection sensor (scintillator/fiber-optic/CCD) for electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Clear improvements in measured detective quantum efficiency and combined energy resolution/energy field-of-view are offered by counting mode direct detection, showing promise for efficient spectrum imaging, low-dose mapping of beam-sensitive specimens, trace element analysis, and time-resolved spectroscopy. Despite the limited counting rate imposed by the readout electronics, we show that both core-loss and low-loss spectral acquisition are practical. These developments will benefit biologists, chemists, physicists, and materials scientists alike.

The public whole body counting program following the Three Mile Island accident. Technical report, April-September 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gotchy, R.L.; Bores, R.J.

1980-12-01

In early April, 1979 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory instituted a program to determine whether any radioactivity released as a result of the March 28, 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island Unit-2 was accumulating in members of the general public living near Unit-2. The program used a device called a whole body counter which has the capability of measuring very small quantities of radioactivity in people. There were 753 men, women and children successfully counted; nine of these people were counted a second time, leading to a total of 762 whole body counts. There was no radioactivity identified in any member of the public which could have originated from the radioactive materials released following the accident. Several people with higher than average levels of naturally occurring radioactivity were identified. The counting systems used are briefly described. Technical problems encountered, results and conclusions are discussed

Track counting in radon dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenbeck, Ingo; Koehler, Bernd; Reichert, Klaus-Martin

2013-01-01

The newly developed, computer-controlled track counting system is capable of imaging and analyzing the entire area of nuclear track detectors. The high optical resolution allows a new analysis approach for the process of automated counting using digital image processing technologies. This way, higher exposed detectors can be evaluated reliably by an automated process as well. (orig.)

Estimated allele substitution effects underlying genomic evaluation models depend on the scaling of allele counts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwman, Aniek C.; Hayes, Ben J.; Calus, Mario P.L.

2017-01-01

Background: Genomic evaluation is used to predict direct genomic values (DGV) for selection candidates in breeding programs, but also to estimate allele substitution effects (ASE) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Scaling of allele counts influences the estimated ASE, because scaling of

CalCOFI Egg Counts Positive Tows

Data.gov (United States)

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

Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yiwen; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin; Sun, Wei

2017-01-01

Data with multivariate count responses frequently occur in modern applications. The commonly used multinomial-logit model is limiting due to its restrictive mean-variance structure. For instance, analyzing count data from the recent RNA-seq technology by the multinomial-logit model leads to serious errors in hypothesis testing. The ubiquity of over-dispersion and complicated correlation structures among multivariate counts calls for more flexible regression models. In this article, we study some generalized linear models that incorporate various correlation structures among the counts. Current literature lacks a treatment of these models, partly due to the fact that they do not belong to the natural exponential family. We study the estimation, testing, and variable selection for these models in a unifying framework. The regression models are compared on both synthetic and real RNA-seq data.

A simulation study of high-resolution x-ray computed tomography imaging using irregular sampling with a photon-counting detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seungwan; Choi, Yu-Na; Kim, Hee-Joung

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the spatial resolution for the x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging with a photon-counting detector using an irregular sampling method. The geometric shift-model of detector was proposed to produce the irregular sampling pattern and increase the number of samplings in the radial direction. The conventional micro-x-ray CT system and the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector were simulated using analytic and Monte Carlo simulations. The projections were reconstructed using filtered back-projection (FBP), algebraic reconstruction technique (ART), and total variation (TV) minimization algorithms, and the reconstructed images were compared in terms of normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE), full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), and coefficient-of-variation (COV). The results showed that the image quality improved in the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector, and the NRMSE, FWHM, and COV were lower for the images reconstructed using the TV minimization technique in the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector. The irregular sampling method produced by the geometric shift-model of detector can improve the spatial resolution and reduce artifacts and noise for reconstructed images obtained from an x-ray CT system with a photon-counting detector. -- Highlights: • We proposed a novel sampling method based on a spiral pattern to improve the spatial resolution. • The novel sampling method increased the number of samplings in the radial direction. • The spatial resolution was improved by the novel sampling method

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

Science.gov (United States)

Gering, E.; Atkinson, C.T.

2004-01-01

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

Direct EUV/X-Ray Modulation of the Ionosphere During the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Science.gov (United States)

Mrak, Sebastijan; Semeter, Joshua; Drob, Douglas; Huba, J. D.

2018-05-01

The great American total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 offered a fortuitous opportunity to study the response of the atmosphere and ionosphere using a myriad of ground instruments. We have used the network of U.S. Global Positioning System receivers to examine perturbations in maps of ionospheric total electron content (TEC). Coherent large-scale variations in TEC have been interpreted by others as gravity wave-induced traveling ionospheric disturbances. However, the solar disk had two active regions at that time, one near the center of the disk and one at the edge, which resulted in an irregular illumination pattern in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV)/X-ray bands. Using detailed EUV occultation maps calculated from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solar Dynamics Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly images, we show excellent agreement between TEC perturbations and computed gradients in EUV illumination. The results strongly suggest that prominent large-scale TEC disturbances were consequences of direct EUV modulation, rather than gravity wave-induced traveling ionospheric disturbances.

Blind image fusion for hyperspectral imaging with the directional total variation

Science.gov (United States)

Bungert, Leon; Coomes, David A.; Ehrhardt, Matthias J.; Rasch, Jennifer; Reisenhofer, Rafael; Schönlieb, Carola-Bibiane

2018-04-01

Hyperspectral imaging is a cutting-edge type of remote sensing used for mapping vegetation properties, rock minerals and other materials. A major drawback of hyperspectral imaging devices is their intrinsic low spatial resolution. In this paper, we propose a method for increasing the spatial resolution of a hyperspectral image by fusing it with an image of higher spatial resolution that was obtained with a different imaging modality. This is accomplished by solving a variational problem in which the regularization functional is the directional total variation. To accommodate for possible mis-registrations between the two images, we consider a non-convex blind super-resolution problem where both a fused image and the corresponding convolution kernel are estimated. Using this approach, our model can realign the given images if needed. Our experimental results indicate that the non-convexity is negligible in practice and that reliable solutions can be computed using a variety of different optimization algorithms. Numerical results on real remote sensing data from plant sciences and urban monitoring show the potential of the proposed method and suggests that it is robust with respect to the regularization parameters, mis-registration and the shape of the kernel.

Cells identification and counting in blood native state on the basis of digital microscopy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doubrovski V.A.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The research goal is to develop an algorithm for the processing of photo images of native blood samples to determine the concentration of erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets without individual separate preparation of cell samples. Materials and Methods. The objects of investigation were the samples of the whole donated blood, diluted 400 times by saline. Special "photo templates", the effect of "highlighting" of leukocytes, which was detect by authors, and the resolution of platelets from leukocytes by the areas of their photo images were suggested for identification of the cells. Results. 80 photo images of native blood solutions were selected for computer processing, while the total number of cells counted was: erythrocytes — 4184, platelets — 292 and leukocytes — 84, total — 4560 blood cells. Comparison of the results achieved with ones obtained by "manual" account or by the device for formed elements counting Sysmex XT-400i gives satisfactory results. Conclusion. It is shown that the accuracy of counting of the native blood cells may be comparable with the accuracy of similar studies by means of smears. At the same time the proposed analysis of native blood simplifies greatly the samples preparation in comparison to smears, permits to move from the detection of blood cells ratios to the determination of their concentrations in the sample.

Clean Hands Count

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Design and development of multiple sample counting setup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rath, D.P.; Murali, S.; Babu, D.A.R.

2010-01-01

Full text: The analysis of active samples on regular basis for ambient air activity and floor contamination from radio chemical lab accounts for major chunk of the operational activity in Health Physicist's responsibility. The requirement for daily air sample analysis on immediate counting and delayed counting from various labs in addition to samples of smear swipe check of lab led to the urge for development of system that could cater multiple sample analysis in a time programmed manner on a single sample loading. A multiple alpha/beta counting system for counting was designed and fabricated. It has arrangements for loading 10 samples in slots in order, get counted in a time programmed manner with results displayed and records maintained in PC. The paper describes the design and development of multiple sample counting setup presently in use at the facility has resulted in reduction of man-hour consumption in counting and recording of the results

Automated vehicle counting using image processing and machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Meany, Sean; Eskew, Edward; Martinez-Castro, Rosana; Jang, Shinae

2017-04-01

Vehicle counting is used by the government to improve roadways and the flow of traffic, and by private businesses for purposes such as determining the value of locating a new store in an area. A vehicle count can be performed manually or automatically. Manual counting requires an individual to be on-site and tally the traffic electronically or by hand. However, this can lead to miscounts due to factors such as human error A common form of automatic counting involves pneumatic tubes, but pneumatic tubes disrupt traffic during installation and removal, and can be damaged by passing vehicles. Vehicle counting can also be performed via the use of a camera at the count site recording video of the traffic, with counting being performed manually post-recording or using automatic algorithms. This paper presents a low-cost procedure to perform automatic vehicle counting using remote video cameras with an automatic counting algorithm. The procedure would utilize a Raspberry Pi micro-computer to detect when a car is in a lane, and generate an accurate count of vehicle movements. The method utilized in this paper would use background subtraction to process the images and a machine learning algorithm to provide the count. This method avoids fatigue issues that are encountered in manual video counting and prevents the disruption of roadways that occurs when installing pneumatic tubes

Prevalence of Total Hip and Knee Replacement in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Maradit Kremers, Hilal; Larson, Dirk R; Crowson, Cynthia S; Kremers, Walter K; Washington, Raynard E; Steiner, Claudia A; Jiranek, William A; Berry, Daniel J

2015-09-02

Descriptive epidemiology of total joint replacement procedures is limited to annual procedure volumes (incidence). The prevalence of the growing number of individuals living with a total hip or total knee replacement is currently unknown. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of total hip and total knee replacement in the United States. Prevalence was estimated using the counting method by combining historical incidence data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey and the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 1969 to 2010 with general population census and mortality counts. We accounted for relative differences in mortality rates between those who have had total hip or knee replacement and the general population. The 2010 prevalence of total hip and total knee replacement in the total U.S. population was 0.83% and 1.52%, respectively. Prevalence was higher among women than among men and increased with age, reaching 5.26% for total hip replacement and 10.38% for total knee replacement at eighty years. These estimates corresponded to 2.5 million individuals (1.4 million women and 1.1 million men) with total hip replacement and 4.7 million individuals (3.0 million women and 1.7 million men) with total knee replacement in 2010. Secular trends indicated a substantial rise in prevalence over time and a shift to younger ages. Around 7 million Americans are living with a hip or knee replacement, and consequently, in most cases, are mobile, despite advanced arthritis. These numbers underscore the substantial public health impact of total hip and knee arthroplasties. Copyright © 2015 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samar Abdallah M Salem

2013-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1989-01-01

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

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234Th distributions in coastal and open ocean waters by non-destructive β-counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, L.A.; Svaeren, I.

2003-01-01

Non-destructive β-counting analyses of particulate and dissolved 234 Th activities in seawater are simpler but no less precise than traditional radioanalytical methods. The inherent accuracy limitations of the non-destructive β-counting method, particularly in samples likely to be contaminated with anthropogenic nuclides, are alleviated by recounting the samples over several half-lives and fitting the counting data to the 234 Th decay curve. Precision (including accuracy, estimated at an average of 3%) is better than 10% for particulate or 5% for dissolved samples. Thorium-234 distributions in the Skagerrak indicated a vigorous, presumably biological, particle export from the surface waters, and while bottom sediment resuspension was not an effective export mechanism, it did strip thorium from the dissolved phase. In the Greenland and Norwegian Seas, we saw clear evidence of particulate export from the surface waters, but at 75 m, total 234 Th activities were generally in equilibrium with 238 U. (author)

Landscape correlates along mourning dove call-count routes in Mississippi

Science.gov (United States)

Elmore, R.D.; Vilella, F.J.; Gerard, P.D.

2007-01-01

Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) call-count surveys in Mississippi, USA, suggest declining populations. We used available mourning dove call-count data to evaluate long-term mourning dove habitat relationships. Dove routes were located in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Deep Loess Province, Mid Coastal Plain, and Hilly Coastal Plain physiographic provinces of Mississippi. We also included routes in the Blackbelt Prairie region of Mississippi and Alabama, USA. We characterized landscape structure and composition within 1.64-km buffers around 10 selected mourning dove call-count routes during 3 time periods. Habitat classes included agriculture, forest, urban, regeneration stands, wetland, and woodlot. We used Akaike's Information Criterion to select the best candidate model. We selected a model containing percent agriculture and edge density that contained approximately 40% of the total variability in the data set. Percent agriculture was positively correlated with relative dove abundance. Interestingly, we found a negative relationship between edge density and dove abundance. Researchers should conduct future research on dove nesting patterns in Mississippi and threshold levels of edge necessary to maximize dove density. During the last 20 years, Mississippi lost more than 800,000 ha of cropland while forest cover represented largely by pine (Pinus taeda) plantations increased by more than 364,000 ha. Our results suggest observed localized declines in mourning dove abundance in Mississippi may be related to the documented conversion of agricultural lands to pine plantations.

Effect of total lymphoid irradiation in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, S.D.; Devereux, C.; Troiano, R.; Hafstein, M.P.; Zito, G.; Hernandez, E.; Lavenhar, M.; Vidaver, R.; Dowling, P.C.

1986-01-01

Total lymphoid irradiation (TLI; 1980 cGy) or sham irradiation was given to 40 patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a prospective, randomised, double-blind study. During mean follow-up of 21 months, MS patients treated with TLI has less functional decline than sham-irradiated MS patients (p<0.01). A significant relation was noted between absolute blood lymphocyte counts in the first year after TLI and subsequent course, patients with higher lymphocyte counts generally having a worse prognosis (p<0.01). TLI was well tolerated and associated with only mild short-term, and to date, long-term side-effects. (author)

Phenomenological introduction to direct dark matter detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gondolo, P.

1996-01-01

The dark matter of our galactic halo may be constituted by elementary particles that interact weakly with with ordinary matter (WIMPs). In spite of the very low counting rates expected for these dark matter particle to scatter off nuclei in a laboratory detector, such direct WIMP searches are possible and are experimentally carried out at present. An introduction to the theoretical ingredients entering the counting rates predictions, together with a short discussion of the major theoretical uncertainties, is here presented. (author)

Use of Hi-resolution data for evaluating accuracy of traffic volume counts collected by microwave sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David K. Chang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Over the past few years, the Utah Department of Transportation has developed the signal performance metrics (SPMs system to evaluate the performance of signalized intersections dynamically. This system currently provides data summaries for several performance measures, one of them being turning movement counts collected by microwave sensors. As this system became public, there was a need to evaluate the accuracy of the data placed on the SPMs. A large-scale data collection was carried out to meet this need. Vehicles in the Hi-resolution data from microwave sensors were matched with the vehicles by ground-truth volume count data. Matching vehicles from the microwave sensor data and the ground-truth data manually collected required significant effort. A spreadsheet-based data analysis procedure was developed to carry out the task. A mixed model analysis of variance was used to analyze the effects of the factors considered on turning volume count accuracy. The analysis found that approach volume level and number of approach lanes would have significant effect on the accuracy of turning volume counts but the location of the sensors did not significantly affect the accuracy of turning volume counts. In addition, it was found that the location of lanes in relation to the sensor did not significantly affect the accuracy of lane-by-lane volume counts. This indicated that accuracy analysis could be performed by using total approach volumes without comparing specific turning counts, that is, left-turn, through and right-turn movements. In general, the accuracy of approach volume counts collected by microwave sensors were within the margin of error that traffic engineers could accept. The procedure taken to perform the analysis and a summary of accuracy of volume counts for the factor combinations considered are presented in this paper.

Logistic regression for dichotomized counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Preisser, John S; Das, Kalyan; Benecha, Habtamu; Stamm, John W

2016-12-01

Sometimes there is interest in a dichotomized outcome indicating whether a count variable is positive or zero. Under this scenario, the application of ordinary logistic regression may result in efficiency loss, which is quantifiable under an assumed model for the counts. In such situations, a shared-parameter hurdle model is investigated for more efficient estimation of regression parameters relating to overall effects of covariates on the dichotomous outcome, while handling count data with many zeroes. One model part provides a logistic regression containing marginal log odds ratio effects of primary interest, while an ancillary model part describes the mean count of a Poisson or negative binomial process in terms of nuisance regression parameters. Asymptotic efficiency of the logistic model parameter estimators of the two-part models is evaluated with respect to ordinary logistic regression. Simulations are used to assess the properties of the models with respect to power and Type I error, the latter investigated under both misspecified and correctly specified models. The methods are applied to data from a randomized clinical trial of three toothpaste formulations to prevent incident dental caries in a large population of Scottish schoolchildren. © The Author(s) 2014.

Counts of galaxies in the region of the 'intergalactic dark cloud' near iota Microscopii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinunger, I.

1976-01-01

The distribution of the total numbers of galaxies down to about 18th magnitude on 84 squares is largely in agreement with the structure of the hypothetic intergalactic absorbing cloud near iota Microscopii found by C. Hoffmeister. The counts of galaxies were performed on the Whiteoak prints covering that region. (author)

Measurements of isomeric yield ratios of fission products from proton-induced fission on natU and 232Th via direct ion counting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rakopoulos Vasileios

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Independent isomeric yield ratios (IYR of 81Ge, 96Y, 97Y, 97Nb, 128Sn and 130Sn have been determined in the 25 MeV proton-induced fission of natU and 232Th. The measurements were performed at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL facility at the University of Jyväskylä. A direct ion counting measurement of the isomeric fission yield ratios was accomplished for the first time, registering the fission products in less than a second after their production. In addition, the IYRs of natU were measured by means of γ-spectroscopy in order to verify the consistency of the recently upgraded experimental setup. From the obtained results, indications of a dependence of the production rate on the fissioning system can be noticed. These data were compared with data available in the literature, whenever possible. Using the TALYS code and the experimentally obtained IYRs, we also deduced the average angular momentum of the fission fragments after scission.

Housing Inventory Count

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Housing and Urban Development — This report displays the data communities reported to HUD about the nature of their dedicated homeless inventory, referred to as their Housing Inventory Count (HIC)....

An Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Subtraction Method Used for Determining Platelet Counts in Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Concentrated Growth Factor Preparations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taisuke Watanabe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Platelet concentrates should be quality-assured of purity and identity prior to clinical use. Unlike for the liquid form of platelet-rich plasma, platelet counts cannot be directly determined in solid fibrin clots and are instead calculated by subtracting the counts in other liquid or semi-clotted fractions from those in whole blood samples. Having long suspected the validity of this method, we herein examined the possible loss of platelets in the preparation process. Blood samples collected from healthy male donors were immediately centrifuged for advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF and concentrated growth factors (CGF according to recommended centrifugal protocols. Blood cells in liquid and semi-clotted fractions were directly counted. Platelets aggregated on clot surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. A higher centrifugal force increased the numbers of platelets and platelet aggregates in the liquid red blood cell fraction and the semi-clotted red thrombus in the presence and absence of the anticoagulant, respectively. Nevertheless, the calculated platelet counts in A-PRF/CGF preparations were much higher than expected, rendering the currently accepted subtraction method inaccurate for determining platelet counts in fibrin clots. To ensure the quality of solid types of platelet concentrates chairside in a timely manner, a simple and accurate platelet-counting method should be developed immediately.

Particle count and black carbon measurements at schools in Las Vegas, NV and in the greater Salt Lake City, UT area.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Steven G; Vaughn, David L; Roberts, Paul T

2017-11-01

As part of two separate studies aimed to characterize ambient pollutant concentrations at schools in urban areas, we compare black carbon and particle count measurements at Adcock Elementary in Las Vegas, NV (April-June 2013), and Hunter High School in the West Valley City area of greater Salt Lake City, UT (February 2012). Both schools are in urban environments, but Adcock Elementary is next to the U.S. 95 freeway. Black carbon (BC) concentrations were 13% higher at Adcock compared to Hunter, while particle count concentrations were 60% higher. When wind speeds were low-less than 2 m/sec-both BC and particle count concentrations were significantly higher at Adcock, while concentrations at Hunter did not have as strong a variation with wind speed. When wind speeds were less than 2 m/sec, emissions from the adjacent freeway greatly affected concentrations at Adcock, regardless of wind direction. At both sites, BC and particle count concentrations peaked in the morning during commute hours. At Adcock, particle count also peaked during midday or early afternoon, when BC was low and conditions were conducive to new particle formation. While this midday peak occurred at Adcock on roughly 45% of the measured days, it occurred on only about 25% of the days at Hunter, since conditions for particle formation (higher solar radiation, lower wind speeds, lower relative humidity) were more conducive at Adcock. Thus, children attending these schools are likely to be exposed to pollution peaks during school drop-off in the morning, when BC and particle count concentrations peak, and often again during lunchtime recess when particle count peaks again. Particle count concentrations at two schools were shown to typically be independent of BC or other pollutants. At a school in close proximity to a major freeway, particle count concentrations were high during the midday and when wind speeds were low, regardless of wind direction, showing a large area of effect from roadway emissions

Daily step count predicts acute exacerbations in a US cohort with COPD.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilyn L Moy

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: COPD is characterized by variability in exercise capacity and physical activity (PA, and acute exacerbations (AEs. Little is known about the relationship between daily step count, a direct measure of PA, and the risk of AEs, including hospitalizations. METHODS: In an observational cohort study of 169 persons with COPD, we directly assessed PA with the StepWatch Activity Monitor, an ankle-worn accelerometer that measures daily step count. We also assessed exercise capacity with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT and patient-reported PA with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire Activity Score (SGRQ-AS. AEs and COPD-related hospitalizations were assessed and validated prospectively over a median of 16 months. RESULTS: Mean daily step count was 5804±3141 steps. Over 209 person-years of observation, there were 263 AEs (incidence rate 1.3±1.6 per person-year and 116 COPD-related hospitalizations (incidence rate 0.56±1.09 per person-year. Adjusting for FEV1 % predicted and prednisone use for AE in previous year, for each 1000 fewer steps per day walked at baseline, there was an increased rate of AEs (rate ratio 1.07; 95%CI = 1.003-1.15 and COPD-related hospitalizations (rate ratio 1.24; 95%CI = 1.08-1.42. There was a significant linear trend of decreasing daily step count by quartiles and increasing rate ratios for AEs (P = 0.008 and COPD-related hospitalizations (P = 0.003. Each 30-meter decrease in 6MWT distance was associated with an increased rate ratio of 1.07 (95%CI = 1.01-1.14 for AEs and 1.18 (95%CI = 1.07-1.30 for COPD-related hospitalizations. Worsening of SGRQ-AS by 4 points was associated with an increased rate ratio of 1.05 (95%CI = 1.01-1.09 for AEs and 1.10 (95%CI = 1.02-1.17 for COPD-related hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Lower daily step count, lower 6MWT distance, and worse SGRQ-AS predict future AEs and COPD-related hospitalizations, independent of pulmonary function and previous AE

Flow cytometric bacterial cell counts challenge conventional heterotrophic plate counts for routine microbiological drinking water monitoring

KAUST Repository

Van Nevel, S.

2017-02-08

Drinking water utilities and researchers continue to rely on the century-old heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) method for routine assessment of general microbiological water quality. Bacterial cell counting with flow cytometry (FCM) is one of a number of alternative methods that challenge this status quo and provide an opportunity for improved water quality monitoring. After more than a decade of application in drinking water research, FCM methodology is optimised and established for routine application, supported by a considerable amount of data from multiple full-scale studies. Bacterial cell concentrations obtained by FCM enable quantification of the entire bacterial community instead of the minute fraction of cultivable bacteria detected with HPC (typically < 1% of all bacteria). FCM measurements are reproducible with relative standard deviations below 3% and can be available within 15 min of samples arriving in the laboratory. High throughput sample processing and complete automation are feasible and FCM analysis is arguably less expensive than HPC when measuring more than 15 water samples per day, depending on the laboratory and selected staining procedure(s). Moreover, many studies have shown FCM total (TCC) and intact (ICC) cell concentrations to be reliable and robust process variables, responsive to changes in the bacterial abundance and relevant for characterising and monitoring drinking water treatment and distribution systems. The purpose of this critical review is to initiate a constructive discussion on whether FCM could replace HPC in routine water quality monitoring. We argue that FCM provides a faster, more descriptive and more representative quantification of bacterial abundance in drinking water.

Flow cytometric bacterial cell counts challenge conventional heterotrophic plate counts for routine microbiological drinking water monitoring

KAUST Repository

Van Nevel, S.; Koetzsch, S.; Proctor, C.R.; Besmer, M.D.; Prest, E.I.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.; Knezev, A.; Boon, N.; Hammes, F.

2017-01-01

Drinking water utilities and researchers continue to rely on the century-old heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) method for routine assessment of general microbiological water quality. Bacterial cell counting with flow cytometry (FCM) is one of a number of alternative methods that challenge this status quo and provide an opportunity for improved water quality monitoring. After more than a decade of application in drinking water research, FCM methodology is optimised and established for routine application, supported by a considerable amount of data from multiple full-scale studies. Bacterial cell concentrations obtained by FCM enable quantification of the entire bacterial community instead of the minute fraction of cultivable bacteria detected with HPC (typically < 1% of all bacteria). FCM measurements are reproducible with relative standard deviations below 3% and can be available within 15 min of samples arriving in the laboratory. High throughput sample processing and complete automation are feasible and FCM analysis is arguably less expensive than HPC when measuring more than 15 water samples per day, depending on the laboratory and selected staining procedure(s). Moreover, many studies have shown FCM total (TCC) and intact (ICC) cell concentrations to be reliable and robust process variables, responsive to changes in the bacterial abundance and relevant for characterising and monitoring drinking water treatment and distribution systems. The purpose of this critical review is to initiate a constructive discussion on whether FCM could replace HPC in routine water quality monitoring. We argue that FCM provides a faster, more descriptive and more representative quantification of bacterial abundance in drinking water.

Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-01-01

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

Counting the number of Feynman graphs in QCD

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, T.

2018-05-01

Information about the number of Feynman graphs for a given physical process in a given field theory is especially useful for confirming the result of a Feynman graph generator used in an automatic system of perturbative calculations. A method of counting the number of Feynman graphs with weight of symmetry factor was established based on zero-dimensional field theory, and was used in scalar theories and QED. In this article this method is generalized to more complicated models by direct calculation of generating functions on a computer algebra system. This method is applied to QCD with and without counter terms, where many higher order are being calculated automatically.

Development of low level alpha particle counting system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minobe, Masao; Kondo, Hiraku; Chinuki, Takashi; Hirano, Hiromichi

1987-01-01

Much attention has been paid to the trace analysis of uranium and thorium contained in the base material of LSI or VLSI, since the so-called ''soft-error'' of the memory device was known to be due to alpha particles emitted from these radioactive elements. We have developed an apparatus to meet the needs of estimating such a very small quantity of U and Th of the level of ppb, by directly counting alpha particles using a gas-flow type proportional counter. This method requires no sophisticated analytical skill, and the accuracy of the result is satisfactory. The instrumentation and some application of this apparatus are described. (author)

Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Generalized Geometry Holdup Calculations and Total Measurement Uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keele, B.D.

2005-01-01

A collimated portable gamma-ray detector will be used to quantify the plutonium content of items that can be approximated as a point, line, or area geometry with respect to the detector. These items can include ducts, piping, glove boxes, isolated equipment inside of gloveboxes, and HEPA filters. The Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) model is used for the reduction of counting data. This document specifies the calculations to reduce counting data into contained plutonium and the associated total measurement uncertainty.

Lazy reference counting for the Microgrid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poss, R.; Grelck, C.; Herhut, S.; Scholz, S.-B.

2012-01-01

This papers revisits non-deferred reference counting, a common technique to ensure that potentially shared large heap objects can be reused safely when they are both input and output to computations. Traditionally, thread-safe reference counting exploit implicit memory-based communication of counter

EDC IMPACT: Reduced sperm counts in rats exposed to human relevant mixtures of endocrine disrupters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelstad Petersen, Marta; Hass, Ulla; Scholze, M.

2018-01-01

and the high doses of the total and the anti-androgenic mixture, compared to controls. In all dose groups, epididymal sperm counts were reduced several months after end of exposure, i.e. at 10 months of age. Interestingly, the same pattern of effects was seen for paracetamol as for mixtures with diverse modes...... of action. Reduced sperm count was seen at a dose level reflecting human therapeutic exposure to paracetamol. Environmental chemical mixtures affected sperm count at the lowest mixture dose indicating an insufficient margin of safety for the most exposed humans. This causes concern for exposure of pregnant......Human semen quality is declining in many parts of the world, but the causes are ill defined. In rodents, impaired sperm production can be seen with early life exposure to certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, but the effects of combined exposures are not properly investigated. In this study, we...

Effect of different doses of aerobic exercise on total white blood cell (WBC and WBC subfraction number in postmenopausal women: results from DREW.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil M Johannsen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Elevated total white blood cell (WBC count is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and death. Aerobic exercise is associated with lower total WBC, neutrophil, and monocyte counts. However, no studies have evaluated the effect of the amount of aerobic exercise (dose on total WBC and WBC subfraction counts. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of 3 different doses of aerobic exercise on changes in total WBC and WBC subfraction counts and independent effects of changes in fitness, adiposity, markers of inflammation (IL-6, TNF-α, C-reactive protein, fasting glucose metabolism, and adiponectin. METHODS: Data from 390 sedentary, overweight/obese postmenopausal women from the DREW study were used in these analyses. Women were randomized to a non-exercise control group or one of 3 exercise groups: energy expenditure of 4, 8, or 12 kcal kg(-1⋅week(-1 (KKW for 6 months at an intensity of 50% VO2peak. RESULTS: A dose-dependent decrease in total WBC counts (trend P = 0.002 was observed with a significant decrease in the 12KKW group (-163.1±140.0 cells/µL; mean±95%CI compared with the control (138.6±144.7 cells/µL. A similar response was seen in the neutrophil subfraction (trend P = 0.001 with a significant decrease in the 12KKW group (-152.6±115.1 cells/µL compared with both the control and 4KKW groups (96.4±119.0 and 21.9±95.3 cells/µL, respectively and in the 8KKW group (-102.4±125.0 cells/µL compared with the control. When divided into high/low baseline WBC categories (median split, a dose-dependent decrease in both total WBCs (P = 0.003 and neutrophils (P<0.001 was observed in women with high baseline WBC counts. The effects of exercise dose on total WBC and neutrophil counts persisted after accounting for significant independent effects of change in waist circumference and IL-6. CONCLUSION: Aerobic exercise training reduces total WBC and neutrophil counts, in a dose-dependent manner, in

Preverbal and verbal counting and computation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallistel, C R; Gelman, R

1992-08-01

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

Determining Gate Count Reliability in a Library Setting

OpenAIRE

Jeffrey Phillips

2016-01-01

Objective – Patron counts are a common form of measurement for library assessment. To develop accurate library statistics, it is necessary to determine any differences between various counting devices. A yearlong comparison between card reader turnstiles and laser gate counters in a university library sought to offer a standard percentage of variance and provide suggestions to increase the precision of counts. Methods – The collection of library exit counts identified the differences be...

Change in platelet count in patients with hypersplenism subjected to liver transplantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Júlio Cezar Uili Coelho

2011-09-01

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Most patients subjected to liver transplantation presents hypersplenism, which is reversed after the operation. However, some patients remain with moderate to intense hypersplenism. OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of liver transplantation on platelet count in patients with hypersplenism. METHOD: Of a total of 233 patients who underwent liver transplantation, 162 were excluded from the present study because of occurrence of steroid-resistant rejection, absence of hypersplenism before the transplantation, absence of follow-up for at least 2 years or incomplete exams data. The electronic study protocols of the remaining 71 patients were reviewed to determine the demographics, etiology of cirrhosis, and results of pathologic examination of the explanted liver. Serial platelet count was obtained from the study protocol on the day before liver transplantation and 1, 2, 4, and 6 months and 1 year after liver transplantation. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t-test, chi-square test, and Spearman's correlation test. RESULTS: Posttransplant platelet count at all time intervals was significantly higher than the pretransplant value (P100,000/mm³ in 58 patients (81.7% 1 month after liver transplantation. Twelve patients (16.9% remained with thrombocytopenia 1 year after liver transplantation. Three patients (4.2% had recurrence of thrombocytopenia within 1 year after liver transplantation. There was no correlation between pretransplant platelet count and the Child-Pugh class or the MELD score. CONCLUSION: Liver transplantation reverses hypersplenism in most patients.

Association of peripheral NK cell counts with Helios+ IFN-γ- Tregs in patients with good long-term renal allograft function.

Science.gov (United States)

Trojan, K; Zhu, L; Aly, M; Weimer, R; Bulut, N; Morath, C; Opelz, G; Daniel, V

2017-06-01

Little is known about a possible interaction of natural killer (NK) cells with regulatory T cells (T reg ) in long-term stable kidney transplant recipients. Absolute counts of lymphocyte and T reg subsets were studied in whole blood samples of 136 long-term stable renal transplant recipients and 52 healthy controls using eight-colour fluorescence flow cytometry. Patients were 1946 ± 2201 days (153-10 268 days) post-transplant and showed a serum creatinine of 1·7 ± 0·7 mg/dl. Renal transplant recipients investigated > 1·5 years post-transplant showed higher total NK cell counts than recipients studied express the phenotype Helios + interferon (IFN)-γ - and appear to have stable FoxP3 expression and originate from the thymus. Furthermore, high total NK cells were associated with T reg that co-express the phenotypes interleukin (IL)-10 - transforming growth factor (TGF)-β + (P = 0·013), CD183 + CD62L - (P = 0·003), CD183 + CD62 + (P = 0·001), CD183 - CD62L + (P = 0·002), CD252 - CD152 + (P term good allograft function and the statistical association of these two lymphocyte subsets with each other suggest a direct or indirect (via DC) interaction of these cell subpopulations that contributes to good long-term allograft acceptance. Moreover, we speculate that regulatory NK cells are formed late post-transplant that are able to inhibit graft-reactive effector cells. © 2017 British Society for Immunology.

Counting Word Frequencies with Python

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William J. Turkel

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Your list is now clean enough that you can begin analyzing its contents in meaningful ways. Counting the frequency of specific words in the list can provide illustrative data. Python has an easy way to count frequencies, but it requires the use of a new type of variable: the dictionary. Before you begin working with a dictionary, consider the processes used to calculate frequencies in a list.

Computerized radioautographic grain counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKanna, J.A.; Casagrande, V.A.

1985-01-01

In recent years, radiolabeling techniques have become fundamental assays in physiology and biochemistry experiments. They also have assumed increasingly important roles in morphologic studies. Characteristically, radioautographic analysis of structure has been qualitative rather than quantitative, however, microcomputers have opened the door to several methods for quantifying grain counts and density. The overall goal of this chapter is to describe grain counting using the Bioquant, an image analysis package based originally on the Apple II+, and now available for several popular microcomputers. The authors discuss their image analysis procedures by applying them to a study of development in the central nervous system

Real-time computational photon-counting LiDAR

Science.gov (United States)

Edgar, Matthew; Johnson, Steven; Phillips, David; Padgett, Miles

2018-03-01

The availability of compact, low-cost, and high-speed MEMS-based spatial light modulators has generated widespread interest in alternative sampling strategies for imaging systems utilizing single-pixel detectors. The development of compressed sensing schemes for real-time computational imaging may have promising commercial applications for high-performance detectors, where the availability of focal plane arrays is expensive or otherwise limited. We discuss the research and development of a prototype light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system via direct time of flight, which utilizes a single high-sensitivity photon-counting detector and fast-timing electronics to recover millimeter accuracy three-dimensional images in real time. The development of low-cost real time computational LiDAR systems could have importance for applications in security, defense, and autonomous vehicles.

In situ detection of warfarin using time-correlated single-photon counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosengren, Annika M.; Karlsson, Bjoern C.G. [Bioorganic and Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar (Sweden); Naeslund, Inga; Andersson, Per Ola [Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, CBRN Defence and Security, SE-901 82 Umea (Sweden); Nicholls, Ian A., E-mail: ian.a.nicholls@bioorg.uu.se [Bioorganic and Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar (Sweden); Department of Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala (Sweden)

2011-04-01

Highlights: {yields} Direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin. {yields} TCSPC spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. {yields} Development of sensor principle for use in clinical and environmental monitoring. -- Abstract: Here we report on a novel method for the direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin using time correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. The method is highly robust over the clinically significant concentration range, and demonstrates the potential of the binding site mimics in conjunction with the spectroscopic strategy employed here for the determination of this important pharmaceutical in clinical or even environmental samples.

In situ detection of warfarin using time-correlated single-photon counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosengren, Annika M.; Karlsson, Bjoern C.G.; Naeslund, Inga; Andersson, Per Ola; Nicholls, Ian A.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin. → TCSPC spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. → Development of sensor principle for use in clinical and environmental monitoring. -- Abstract: Here we report on a novel method for the direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin using time correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. The method is highly robust over the clinically significant concentration range, and demonstrates the potential of the binding site mimics in conjunction with the spectroscopic strategy employed here for the determination of this important pharmaceutical in clinical or even environmental samples.

Correlation between the neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio and bacterial infection in patient with human immunodeficiency virus

Science.gov (United States)

Kusnadi, D.; Liwang, M. N. I.; Katu, S.; Mubin, A. H.; Halim, R.

2018-03-01

Parameters for starting antibiotic therapy such as CRP andleukocytosis are considered non-specific. Previous studies have shown the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Count Ratio (NLCR) can serve as the basis of bacterial infection, the level of infection, and the basis of antibiotic therapy. Compared with the Procalcitonin parameter, this NLCR is rapid, an inexpensive and requires no additional sampling. To determine the correlation between The Neutrophil-LymphocyteCount Ratio to bacterial infection in HIV patients. This study was a cross-sectional observational approach to HIV subject at Wahidin Sudirohusodo and Hasanuddin University Hospital. The subjects performed routine blood, microbiology test,and blood Procalcitonin levels tests. Then performed NLCR calculations based on routine blood results. The subjects then grouped the presence or absence of bacterial infection.In 146 study subjects, there were 78 (53.4%) with bacterial infections and 68 (46.6%) without bacterial infection as controls. Subjects with bacterial infections had higher total neutrophils (84.83) compared with non-bacterial infections. Subjects with bacterial infections had total lymphocytes with an average of 8.51 lower than non-bacterial infections. Subjects with bacterial infections had higher NLCR values with an average of 12.80. The Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Count Ratio can become a marker of bacterial infection in HIV patients.

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

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Suresh Shastri

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

Totally optimal decision trees for Boolean functions

KAUST Repository

Chikalov, Igor

2016-07-28

We study decision trees which are totally optimal relative to different sets of complexity parameters for Boolean functions. A totally optimal tree is an optimal tree relative to each parameter from the set simultaneously. We consider the parameters characterizing both time (in the worst- and average-case) and space complexity of decision trees, i.e., depth, total path length (average depth), and number of nodes. We have created tools based on extensions of dynamic programming to study totally optimal trees. These tools are applicable to both exact and approximate decision trees, and allow us to make multi-stage optimization of decision trees relative to different parameters and to count the number of optimal trees. Based on the experimental results we have formulated the following hypotheses (and subsequently proved): for almost all Boolean functions there exist totally optimal decision trees (i) relative to the depth and number of nodes, and (ii) relative to the depth and average depth.

A novel automated direct measurement method for total antioxidant capacity using a new generation, more stable ABTS radical cation.

Science.gov (United States)

Erel, Ozcan

2004-04-01

To develop a novel colorimetric and automated direct measurement method for total antioxidant capacity (TAC). A new generation, more stable, colored 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical cation (ABTS(*+)) was employed. The ABTS(*+) is decolorized by antioxidants according to their concentrations and antioxidant capacities. This change in color is measured as a change in absorbance at 660 nm. This process is applied to an automated analyzer and the assay is calibrated with Trolox. The novel assay is linear up to 6 mmol Trolox equivalent/l, its precision values are lower than 3%, and there is no interference from hemoglobin, bilirubin, EDTA, or citrate. The method developed is significantly correlated with the Randox- total antioxidant status (TAS) assay (r = 0.897, P total antioxidant capacity.

Cerenkov counting and Cerenkov-scintillation counting with high refractive index organic liquids using a liquid scintillation counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiebe, L.I.; Helus, F.; Maier-Borst, W.

1978-01-01

18 F and 14 C radioactivity was measured in methyl salicylate (MS), a high refractive index hybrid Cherenkov-scintillation generating medium, using a liquid scintillation counter. At concentrations of up to 21.4%, in MS, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) quenched 14 C fluorescence, and with a 10-fold excess of DMSO over MS, 18 F count rates were reduced below that for DMSO alone, probably as a result of concentration-independent self-quenching due to 'dark-complex' formation. DMSO in lower concentrations did not reduce the counting efficiency of 18 F in MS. Nitrobenzene was a concentration-dependent quencher for both 14 C and 18 F in MS. Chlorobenzene (CB) and DMSO were both found to be weak Cherenkov generators with 18 F. Counting efficiencies for 18 F in MS, CB, and DMSO were 50.3, 7.8 and 4.3% respectively in the coincidence counting mode, and 58.1, 13.0 and 6.8% in the singles mode. 14 C efficiencies were 14.4 and 22.3% for coincidence and singles respectively, and 15.3 and 42.0% using a modern counter designed for coincidence and single photon counting. The high 14 C and 18 F counting efficiency in MS are discussed with respect to excitation mechanism, on the basis of quench and channels ratios changes observed. It is proposed that MS functions as an efficient Cherenkov-scintillation generator for high-energy beta emitters such as 18 F, and as a low-efficiency scintillator for weak beta emitting radionuclides such as 14 C. (author)

Signatures of reproductive events on blood counts and biomarkers of inflammation: Implications for chronic disease risk.

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Daniel W Cramer

Full Text Available Whether inflammation mediates how reproductive events affect chronic-disease risk is unclear. We studied inflammatory biomarkers in the context of reproductive events using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES data. From 15,986 eligible women from the 1999-2011 data cycles, we accessed information on reproductive events, blood counts, C-reactive protein (CRP, and total homocysteine (tHCY. We calculated blood-count ratios including: platelet-lymphocyte (PLR, lymphocyte-monocyte (LMR, platelet-monocyte (PMR, and neutrophil-monocyte (NMR. Using sampling weights per NHANES guidelines, means for counts, ratios, or biomarkers by reproductive events were compared using linear regression. We performed trend tests and calculated p-values with partial sum of squares F-tests. Higher PLR and lower LMR were associated with nulliparity. In postmenopausal women, lower PMR was associated with early age at first birth and higher NMR with later age at and shorter interval since last birth. Lower PNR and higher neutrophils and tHCY were associated with early natural menopause. In all women, the neutrophil count correlated positively with CRP; but, in premenopausal women, correlated inversely with tHCY. Reproductive events leave residual signatures on blood counts and inflammatory biomarkers that could underlie their links to chronic disease risk.

Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Navazesh, M; Wood, G J; Brightman, V J

1995-09-01

Seventy-one persons (48 women, 23 men; mean age, 51.76 years) were evaluated for salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts. Each person was seen on three different occasions. Samples of unstimulated whole, chewing-stimulated whole, acid-stimulated parotid, and candy-stimulated parotid saliva were collected under standardized conditions. An oral rinse was also obtained and evaluated for Candida albicans counts. Unstimulated and chewing-stimulated whole flow rates were negatively and significantly (p Candida counts. Unstimulated whole saliva significantly (p Candida counts of 0 versus or = 500 count. Differences in stimulated parotid flow rates were not significant among different levels of Candida counts. The results of this study reveal that whole saliva is a better predictor than parotid saliva in identification of persons with high Candida albicans counts.

Reticulocyte Count Test

Science.gov (United States)

... htm. (2004 Summer). Immature Reticulocyte Fraction(IRF). The Pathology Center Newsletter v9(1). [On-line information]. Available ... Company, Philadelphia, PA [18th Edition]. Levin, M. (2007 March 8, Updated). Reticulocyte Count. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On- ...

CERNDxCTA counting mode chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, D.; Kaplon, J.; Nygard, E.

2008-01-01

This ASIC is a counting mode front-end electronic optimized for the readout of CdZnTe/CdTe and silicon sensors, for possible use in applications where the flux of ionizing radiation is high. The chip is implemented in 0.25 μm CMOS technology. The circuit comprises 128 channels equipped with a transimpedance amplifier followed by a gain shaper stage with 21 ns peaking time, two discriminators and two 18-bit counters. The channel architecture is optimized for the detector characteristics in order to achieve the best energy resolution at counting rates of up to 5 M counts/second. The amplifier shows a linear sensitivity of 118 mV/fC and an equivalent noise charge of about 711 e - , for a detector capacitance of 5 pF. Complete evaluation of the circuit is presented using electronic pulses and pixel detectors

Seed counting system evaluation using arduino microcontroller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Fernando Escobar Paim

2018-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-01-01

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

Direct hospital costs of total laparoscopic hysterectomy compared with fast-track open hysterectomy at a tertiary hospital: a retrospective case-controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhou, Yoon J J; Pather, Selvan; Loadsman, John A; Campbell, Neil; Philp, Shannon; Carter, Jonathan

2015-12-01

To assess the direct intraoperative and postoperative costs in women undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy and fast-track open hysterectomy. A retrospective review of the direct hospital-related costs in a matched cohort of women undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and fast-track open hysterectomy (FTOH) at a tertiary hospital. All costs were calculated, including the cost of advanced high-energy laparoscopic devices. The effect of the learning curve on cost in laparoscopic hysterectomy was also assessed, as was the hospital case-weighted cost, which was compared with the actual cost. Fifty women were included in each arm of the study. TLH had a higher intraoperative cost, but a lower postoperative cost than FTOH (AUD$3877 vs AUD$2776 P funding model in our hospital is inaccurate when compared to directly calculated hospital costs. © 2013 The Authors ANZJOG © 2013 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Tutorial on X-ray photon counting detector characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Liqiang; Zheng, Bin; Liu, Hong

2018-01-01

Recent advances in photon counting detection technology have led to significant research interest in X-ray imaging. As a tutorial level review, this paper covers a wide range of aspects related to X-ray photon counting detector characterization. The tutorial begins with a detailed description of the working principle and operating modes of a pixelated X-ray photon counting detector with basic architecture and detection mechanism. Currently available methods and techniques for charactering major aspects including energy response, noise floor, energy resolution, count rate performance (detector efficiency), and charge sharing effect of photon counting detectors are comprehensively reviewed. Other characterization aspects such as point spread function (PSF), line spread function (LSF), contrast transfer function (CTF), modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), bias voltage, radiation damage, and polarization effect are also remarked. A cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixelated photon counting detector is employed for part of the characterization demonstration and the results are presented. This review can serve as a tutorial for X-ray imaging researchers and investigators to understand, operate, characterize, and optimize photon counting detectors for a variety of applications.

Scintillation counting apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, J.E.

1978-01-01

Apparatus is described for the accurate measurement of radiation by means of scintillation counters and in particular for the liquid scintillation counting of both soft beta radiation and gamma radiation. Full constructional and operating details are given. (UK)

Project and construction of counting system for neutron probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monteiro, W.P.

1985-01-01

A counting system was developed for coupling neutron probe aiming to register pulses produced by slow neutron interaction in the detector. The neutron probe consists of fast neutron source, thermal neutron detector, amplifier circuit and pulse counting circuit. The counting system is composed by counting circuit, timer and signal circuit. (M.C.K.)

Counts and colors of faint galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kron, R.G.

1980-01-01

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

Relationships between the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire, tender point count, and muscle strength in female patients with fibromyalgia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Marius; Lund, Hans; Christensen, Robin

2009-01-01

of the patients completed version 1 of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and were assessed for tender points and knee muscle strength. All subjects underwent bilateral isokinetic knee muscle strength testing in flexion and extension. Normative knee muscle strength values were calculated from the healthy......OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that fibromyalgia (FM) patients with reduced lower extremity strength are more symptomatic and tender than FM patients with normal muscle strength. METHODS: A total of 840 FM patients and 122 healthy subjects were evaluated between 1998 and 2005. All....... There were no clinically significant differences between patients with low versus normal muscle strength. There were no clinically significant correlations between total FIQ score, tender point count, and muscle strength. Only 4.6% of the FIQ scores and 5.1% of the tender point counts were explained...

Optical efficiency for fission fragment track counting in Muscovite solid state track recorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.H.; Ruddy, F.H.; Gold, R.

1984-01-01

In order to determine absolute fission rates from thin actinide deposits placed in direct contact with Muscovite Solid State Track Recorders, it is necessary to know the efficiency with which fission fragment tracks are recorded. In this paper, a redetermination of the 'optical efficiency', i.e. the fraction of fission events recorded and observed in the Muscovite is reported. The value obtained from a well-calibrated thin deposit of 252 Cf and Muscovite etched about 90 min. in 49% HF at room temperature, is 0.9875 +- 0.0085. Manual counting was used. Preliminary results from a deposit of 242 Pu are also reported, along with preliminary comparisons of track counting with an automated system. Reasons for the discrepancy of the optical efficiency reported here with an earlier measurement are also reported. (author)

A hierarchical bayesian approach to ecological count data: a flexible tool for ecologists.

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James A Fordyce

Full Text Available Many ecological studies use the analysis of count data to arrive at biologically meaningful inferences. Here, we introduce a hierarchical bayesian approach to count data. This approach has the advantage over traditional approaches in that it directly estimates the parameters of interest at both the individual-level and population-level, appropriately models uncertainty, and allows for comparisons among models, including those that exceed the complexity of many traditional approaches, such as ANOVA or non-parametric analogs. As an example, we apply this method to oviposition preference data for butterflies in the genus Lycaeides. Using this method, we estimate the parameters that describe preference for each population, compare the preference hierarchies among populations, and explore various models that group populations that share the same preference hierarchy.

Reference curves for CD4 T-cell count response to combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1-infected treatment-naïve patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bouteloup, V; Sabin, C; Mocroft, A

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to provide a reference for the CD4 T-cell count response in the early months after the initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in HIV-1-infected patients. METHODS: All patients in the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research....... Unadjusted and adjusted references curves and predictions were obtained using quantile regressions. RESULTS: A total of 28 992 patients were included in the study. The median CD4 T-cell count at treatment initiation was 249 [interquartile range (IQR) 150, 336] cells/μL. The median observed CD4 counts at 6, 9...... and 12 months were 382 (IQR 256, 515), 402 (IQR 274, 543) and 420 (IQR 293, 565) cells/μL. The two main factors explaining the variation of CD4 count at 6 months were AIDS stage and CD4 count at cART initiation. A CD4 count increase of ≥ 100 cells/mL is generally required in order that patients stay 'on...

A count rate model for PET and its application to an LSO HR PLUS scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moisan, C.; Rogers, J.G.; Douglas, J.L.

1996-10-01

We present a count rate model for PET. Considering a standard 20 x 20 cm phantom in the field-of-view of a cylindrical septaless tomograph, the model computes the acceptance to prompt and random events from simple geometric considerations. Dead time factors at all stages of a typical event acquisition architecture are calculated from specified processing clock cycles. Validations of the model's predictions against the measured performances of the ECAT-953B and the EXACT HR PLUS are presented. The model is then used to investigate the benefit of using detectors made of LSO in the EXACT HR PLUS scanner geometry. The results indicate that in replacing BGO by the faster LSO, one can count on an increase of the peak noise-equivalent-count rate by a factor 2.2. This gain will be achieved by using a 5 nsec coincidence window, buckets operating on 128 nsec clock cycle, and front-end data acquisition that can sustain a total rate of 2.9 MHz. (authors)

Complete Blood Count Reference Intervals for Healthy Han Chinese Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Runqing; Guo, Wei; Qiao, Rui; Chen, Wenxiang; Jiang, Hong; Ma, Yueyun; Shang, Hong

2015-01-01

Background Complete blood count (CBC) reference intervals are important to diagnose diseases, screen blood donors, and assess overall health. However, current reference intervals established by older instruments and technologies and those from American and European populations are not suitable for Chinese samples due to ethnic, dietary, and lifestyle differences. The aim of this multicenter collaborative study was to establish CBC reference intervals for healthy Han Chinese adults. Methods A total of 4,642 healthy individuals (2,136 males and 2,506 females) were recruited from six clinical centers in China (Shenyang, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xi’an). Blood samples collected in K2EDTA anticoagulant tubes were analyzed. Analysis of variance was performed to determine differences in consensus intervals according to the use of data from the combined sample and selected samples. Results Median and mean platelet counts from the Chengdu center were significantly lower than those from other centers. Red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), and hematocrit (HCT) values were higher in males than in females at all ages. Other CBC parameters showed no significant instrument-, region-, age-, or sex-dependent difference. Thalassemia carriers were found to affect the lower or upper limit of different RBC profiles. Conclusion We were able to establish consensus intervals for CBC parameters in healthy Han Chinese adults. RBC, HGB, and HCT intervals were established for each sex. The reference interval for platelets for the Chengdu center should be established independently. PMID:25769040

Cerenkov counting and Cerenkov-scintillation counting with high refractive index organic liquids using a liquid scintillation counter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiebe, L I; Helus, F; Maier-Borst, W [Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Nuklearmedizin

1978-06-01

/sup 18/F and /sup 14/C radioactivity was measured in methyl salicylate (MS), a high refractive index hybrid Cherenkov-scintillation generating medium, using a liquid scintillation counter. At concentrations of up to 21.4%, in MS, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) quenched /sup 14/C fluorescence, and with a 10-fold excess of DMSO over MS, /sup 18/F count rates were reduced below that for DMSO alone, probably as a result of concentration-independent self-quenching due to 'dark-complex' formation. DMSO in lower concentrations did not reduce the counting efficiency of /sup 18/F in MS. Nitrobenzene was a concentration-dependent quencher for both /sup 14/C and /sup 18/F in MS. Chlorobenzene (CB) and DMSO were both found to be weak Cherenkov generators with /sup 18/F. Counting efficiencies for /sup 18/F in MS, CB, and DMSO were 50.3, 7.8 and 4.3% respectively in the coincidence counting mode, and 58.1, 13.0 and 6.8% in the singles mode. /sup 14/C efficiencies were 14.4 and 22.3% for coincidence and singles respectively, and 15.3 and 42.0% using a modern counter designed for coincidence and single photon counting. The high /sup 14/C and /sup 18/F counting efficiency in MS are discussed with respect to excitation mechanism, on the basis of quench and channels ratios changes observed. It is proposed that MS functions as an efficient Cherenkov-scintillation generator for high-energy beta emitters such as /sup 18/F, and as a low-efficiency scintillator for weak beta emitting radionuclides such as /sup 14/C.

Development of a mobile application for manual traffic counts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghanim Mohammad

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The use of technology in performing traffic counts has become widely used by many transportation agencies and private sectors. Different technologies have been employed to perform such counts, such as inductive loops, image processing, Bluetooth technologies, and laser and infrared technologies. However, the use of these advanced technologies come with extra cost to develop, install, and maintain. While the use of advanced technologies provide reliable traffic counts and vehicle classifications data, the use of manual traffic is an inevitable task. Manual traffic counts can serve different purposes, such as performing quality control or conducting short-term traffic survey. Manual traffic counts are usually conducted with the use of the traditional paper-and-pencil approach or the use of hand-held devices that are specifically developed to assess performing manual traffic counts. In this paper, the development of a mobile app that can be used to assist those who need to perform manual traffic counts. The app can be used by many public agencies, private sectors, and college students to collect their traffic data. It also provides users with the capabilities of sharing their traffic counts instantly, where traffic counts can be extracted and processed quickly by other parties.

Microbial Count and Shelf Life of Phalsa(Grewia Asiatica) Juice