scholarly journals Improved Method for the Quantification of Motility in Glia and Other Morphologically Complex Cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Sild ◽  
Robert P. Chatelain ◽  
Edward S. Ruthazer
Keyword(s):  
Radial Glia ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Motility Index ◽  
Complex Cells ◽  
Graphical Interfaces ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Imaging Artifact ◽  
Difference Images ◽  
The Impact

Cells such as astrocytes and radial glia with many densely ramified, fine processes pose particular challenges for the quantification of structural motility. Here we report the development of a method to calculate a motility index for individual cells with complex, dynamic morphologies. This motility index relies on boxcar averaging of the difference images generated by subtraction of images collected at consecutive time points. An image preprocessing step involving 2D projection, edge detection, and dilation of the raw images is first applied in order to binarize the images. The boxcar averaging of difference images diminishes the impact of artifactual pixel fluctuations while accentuating the group-wise changes in pixel values which are more likely to represent real biological movement. Importantly, this provides a value that correlates with mean process elongation and retraction rates without requiring detailed reconstructions of very complex cells. We also demonstrate that additional increases in the sensitivity of the method can be obtained by denoising images using the temporal frequency power spectra, based on the fact that rapid intensity fluctuations over time are mainly due to imaging artifact. The MATLAB programs implementing these motility analysis methods, complete with user-friendly graphical interfaces, have been made publicly available for download.

Investigation of Granular Damping in Transient Vibrations Using Hilbert Transform Based Technique

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Fang ◽  
H. Luo ◽  
J. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Hilbert Transform ◽  
Damping Ratio ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Nonlinear Damping ◽  
Vibration Level ◽  
Damping Characteristics ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Hilbert Transform ◽  
Granular Damping ◽  
The Impact

Granular damping results from a combination of energy dissipation mechanisms including the impact and the friction between the vibrating structure and granules and among the granules. Although simple in concept, granular damping is very complicated and its performance depends on a number of factors, such as vibration level, granular material properties, packing ratio, etc. In this study, free vibration experiments are conducted on a cantilevered beam incorporated with granular damping. A signal analysis approach based on the Hilbert transform (HT) is then employed to identify the nonlinear damping characteristics from the acquired responses, such as the dependency of the natural frequency and damping ratio on the vibration level. This HT based analysis can produce an effective temporal-frequency amplitude∕energy analysis, which provides us with physical insights of the nonlinear transient response. A direct comparison between the granular damping and the impact damping (with single impactor to dissipate vibratory energy) is performed to highlight the difference between these two and the advantages of granular damping. Finally, the validity of the proposed approach is also examined by the successful prediction of vibration response using the extracted granular damping characteristics.

Analysis of Granular Damping Using Hilbert Transform Based Technique

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Fang ◽  
H. Luo ◽  
J. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Hilbert Transform ◽  
Damping Ratio ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Nonlinear Damping ◽  
Vibration Level ◽  
Damping Characteristics ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Hilbert Transform ◽  
Granular Damping ◽  
The Impact

Granular damping results from a combination of energy dissipation mechanisms including the impact and the friction between the vibrating structure and granules and among the granules. Although simple in concept, granular damping is very complicated and its performance depends on a number of factors, such as vibration level, granular material properties, and packing ratio, etc. In this study, free vibration tests are conducted on a cantilevered beam incorporated with granular damping. A signal analysis approach based on the Hilbert transform (HT) is then employed to identify the nonlinear damping characteristics from the acquired responses, such as the dependency of the natural frequency and damping ratio on vibration level. This HT based analysis can produce an accurate temporal-frequency amplitude/energy analysis which provides us with physical insights of the nonlinear transient response. A direct comparison between the granular damping and the impact damping (with single impactor to dissipate vibratory energy) is performed to highlight the difference between these two as well as the advantages of granular damping. Finally, validity of the proposed approach is also examined by the successful prediction of vibration response using the extracted granular damping characteristics.

Evaluation of the impact of public investment programs on social and economic performance of territories

2019 ◽  
pp. 109-123
Author(s):  
I. E. Limonov ◽  
M. V. Nesena
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Modeling ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
The Public ◽  
Export Activity ◽  
Regional Investment ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Development Institution

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of public investment programs on the socio-economic development of territories. As a case, the federal target programs for the development of regions and investment programs of the financial development institution — Vnesheconombank, designed to solve the problems of regional development are considered. The impact of the public interventions were evaluated by the “difference in differences” method using Bayesian modeling. The results of the evaluation suggest the positive impact of federal target programs on the total factor productivity of regions and on innovation; and that regional investment programs of Vnesheconombank are improving the export activity. All of the investments considered are likely to have contributed to the reduction of unemployment, but their implementation has been accompanied by an increase in social inequality.

The Use of Multimedia and its Impact on Bangladeshi EFL Learners at Tertiary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.

Case study: Prediction and field tests of railway noise and effects of a low-height noise barrier

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-314
Author(s):  
Yuna Park ◽  
Hyo-In Koh ◽  
University of Science and Technology, Transpo ◽  
University of Science and Technology, Transpo ◽  
University of Science and Technology, Transpo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Railway Systems ◽  
Railway Noise ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Noise Barrier ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Reduction Effect ◽  
The Impact

Railway noise is calculated to predict the impact of new or reconstructed railway tracks on nearby residential areas. The results are used to prepare adequate counter- measures, and the calculation results are directly related to the cost of the action plans. The calculated values were used to produce noise maps for each area of inter- est. The Schall 03 2012 is one of the most frequently used methods for the production of noise maps. The latest version was released in 2012 and uses various input para- meters associated with the latest rail vehicles and track systems in Germany. This version has not been sufficiently used in South Korea, and there is a lack of standard guidelines and a precise manual for Korean railway systems. Thus, it is not clear what input parameters will match specific local cases. This study investigates the modeling procedure for Korean railway systems and the differences between calcu- lated railway sound levels and measured values obtained using the Schall 03 2012 model. Depending on the location of sound receivers, the difference between the cal- culated and measured values was within approximately 4 dB for various train types. In the case of high-speed trains, the value was approximately 7 dB. A noise-reducing measure was also modeled. The noise reduction effect of a low-height noise barrier system was predicted and evaluated for operating railway sites within the frame- work of a national research project in Korea. The comparison of calculated and measured values showed differences within 2.5 dB.

scholarly journals Soil Moisture Dynamics in Response to Precipitation and Thinning in a Semi-Dry Forest in Northern Mexico

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Argelia E. Rascón-Ramos ◽  
Martín Martínez-Salvador ◽  
Gabriel Sosa-Pérez ◽  
Federico Villarreal-Guerrero ◽  
Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Rainfall Characteristics ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moisture Dynamics

Understanding soil moisture behavior in semi-dry forests is essential for evaluating the impact of forest management on water availability. The objective of the study was to analyze soil moisture based in storm observations in three micro-catchments (0.19, 0.20, and 0.27 ha) with similar tree densities, and subject to different thinning intensities in a semi-dry forest in Chihuahua, Mexico. Vegetation, soil characteristics, precipitation, and volumetric water content were measured before thinning (2018), and after 0%, 40%, and 80% thinning for each micro-catchment (2019). Soil moisture was low and relatively similar among the three micro-catchments in 2018 (mean = 8.5%), and only large rainfall events (>30 mm) increased soil moisture significantly (29–52%). After thinning, soil moisture was higher and significantly different among the micro-catchments only during small rainfall events (<10 mm), while a difference was not noted during large events. The difference before–after during small rainfall events was not significant for the control (0% thinning); whereas 40% and 80% thinning increased soil moisture significantly by 40% and 53%, respectively. Knowledge of the response of soil moisture as a result of thinning and rainfall characteristics has important implications, especially for evaluating the impact of forest management on water availability.

scholarly journals The halo model as a versatile tool to predict intrinsic alignments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Fortuna ◽  
Henk Hoekstra ◽  
Benjamin Joachimi ◽  
Harry Johnston ◽  
Nora Elisa Chisari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Stage Iii ◽  
Radial Dependence ◽  
Additional Parameter ◽  
Small Scales ◽  
Cosmic Shear ◽  
Galaxy Populations ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Intrinsic alignments (IAs) of galaxies are an important contaminant for cosmic shear studies, but the modelling is complicated by the dependence of the signal on the source galaxy sample. In this paper, we use the halo model formalism to capture this diversity and examine its implications for Stage-III and Stage-IV cosmic shear surveys. We account for the different IA signatures at large and small scales, as well for the different contributions from central/satellite and red/blue galaxies, and we use realistic mocks to account for the characteristics of the galaxy populations as a function of redshift. We inform our model using the most recent observational findings: we include a luminosity dependence at both large and small scales and a radial dependence of the signal within the halo. We predict the impact of the total IA signal on the lensing angular power spectra, including the current uncertainties from the IA best-fits to illustrate the range of possible impact on the lensing signal: the lack of constraints for fainter galaxies is the main source of uncertainty for our predictions of the IA signal. We investigate how well effective models with limited degrees of freedom can account for the complexity of the IA signal. Although these lead to negligible biases for Stage-III surveys, we find that, for Stage-IV surveys, it is essential to at least include an additional parameter to capture the redshift dependence.

scholarly journals 216. Are Automatic Antimicrobial Stop Orders an Effective Stewardship Tool for Urinary Tract and Intra-Abdominal Infections?

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S110-S110
Author(s):  
Christina Maguire ◽  
Dusten T Rose ◽  
Theresa Jaso
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Source Control ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Length Of Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Automatic antimicrobial stop orders (ASOs) are a stewardship initiative used to decrease days of therapy, prevent resistance, and reduce drug costs. Limited evidence outside of the perioperative setting exists on the effects of ASOs on broad spectrum antimicrobial use, discharge prescription duration, and effects of missed doses. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an ASO policy across a health system of adult academic and community hospitals for treatment of intra-abdominal (IAI) and urinary tract infections (UTI). ASO Outcome Definitions ASO Outcomes Methods This multicenter retrospective cohort study compared patients with IAI and UTI treated before and after implementation of an ASO. Patients over the age of 18 with a diagnosis of UTI or IAI and 48 hours of intravenous (IV) antimicrobial administration were included. Patients unable to achieve IAI source control within 48 hours or those with a concomitant infection were excluded. The primary outcome was the difference in sum length of antimicrobial therapy (LOT). Secondary endpoints include length and days of antimicrobial therapy (DOT) at multiple timepoints, all cause in hospital mortality and readmission, and adverse events such as rates of Clostridioides difficile infection. Outcomes were also evaluated by type of infection, hospital site, and presence of infectious diseases (ID) pharmacist on site. Results This study included 119 patients in the pre-ASO group and 121 patients in the post-ASO group. ASO shortened sum length of therapy (LOT) (12 days vs 11 days respectively; p=0.0364) and sum DOT (15 days vs 12 days respectively; p=0.022). This finding appears to be driven by a decrease in outpatient LOT (p=0.0017) and outpatient DOT (p=0.0034). Conversely, ASO extended empiric IV LOT (p=0.005). All other secondary outcomes were not significant. Ten patients missed doses of antimicrobials due to ASO. Subgroup analyses suggested that one hospital may have influenced outcomes and reduction in LOT was observed primarily in sites without an ID pharmacist on site (p=0.018). Conclusion While implementation of ASO decreases sum length of inpatient and outpatient therapy, it may not influence inpatient length of therapy alone. Moreover, ASOs prolong use of empiric intravenous therapy. Hospitals without an ID pharmacist may benefit most from ASO protocols. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Arterial Stiffness Assessed by Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Patients With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Its Alterations After Treatment

2021 ◽  
pp. 153857442110232
Author(s):  
Spyridon N. Mylonas ◽  
Konstantinos G. Moulakakis ◽  
Nikolaos Kadoglou ◽  
Constantinos Antonopoulos ◽  
Thomas E. Kotsis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arterial Stiffness ◽  
Surgical Repair ◽  
Open Repair ◽  
Abdominal Aortic ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Baseline Values ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Repair Group

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate a potential difference on the arterial stiffness among aneurysm patients and non-aneurysm controls, as well as to explore potential changes between patients treated either with endovascular or open repair. Materials and Methods: A 110 patients with an infrarenal AAA were prospectively enrolled in this study. Fifty-six patients received an EVAR, whereas 54 patients received an open surgical repair. Moreover, 103 gender and age-matched subjects without AAA served as controls. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was applied for measurement of the arterial stiffness. Results: CAVI values were statistically higher in the AAA patients when compared with control subjects. Although at 48 hours postoperatively the CAVI values were increased in both groups when compared to baseline values, the difference in CAVI had a tendency to be higher in the open group compared to the endovascular group. At 6 months of follow up the CAVI values returned to the baseline for the patients of the open repair group. However, in the endovascular group CAVI values remained higher when compared with the baseline values. Conclusion: Patients with AAAs demonstrated a higher value of CAVI compared to healthy controls. A significant increase of arterial stiffness in both groups during the immediate postoperative period was documented. The increase in arterial stiffness remained significant at 6 months in EVAR patients. Further studies are needed to elucidate the impact of a decreased aortic compliance after stentgraft implantation on the cardiac function of patients with AAA.

scholarly journals Investigating the properties of a galaxy group at z = 0.6

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 188-189
Author(s):  
Daniela Hiromi Okido ◽  
Cristina Furlanetto ◽  
Marina Trevisan ◽  
Mônica Tergolina
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
The Other ◽  
Numerical Density ◽  
Spectroscopy Data ◽  
Stellar Kinematics ◽  
Galaxy Groups ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Universe

AbstractGalaxy groups offer an important perspective on how the large-scale structure of the Universe has formed and evolved, being great laboratories to study the impact of the environment on the evolution of galaxies. We aim to investigate the properties of a galaxy group that is gravitationally lensing HELMS18, a submillimeter galaxy at z = 2.39. We obtained multi-object spectroscopy data using Gemini-GMOS to investigate the stellar kinematics of the central galaxies, determine its members and obtain the mass, radius and the numerical density profile of this group. Our final goal is to build a complete description of this galaxy group. In this work we present an analysis of its two central galaxies: one is an active galaxy with z = 0.59852 ± 0.00007, while the other is a passive galaxy with z = 0.6027 ± 0.0002. Furthermore, the difference between the redshifts obtained using emission and absorption lines indicates an outflow of gas with velocity v = 278.0 ± 34.3 km/s relative to the galaxy.

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