A major advantage of single-molecule methods over ensemble-averaging techniques involves the ability to characterize heterogeneity through the identification of multiple molecular populations. It can be challenging, however, to determine absolute values of dynamic parameters (and to relate these values to those determined from a conventional method) because characteristic timescales of ...

Understanding how species traits evolved over time is the central question to comprehend assembly rules that govern the phylogenetic structure of communities. The measurement of phylogenetic signal (PS) in ecologically relevant traits is a first step to understand phylogenetically structured community patterns. The different methods available to estimate PS make ...

Of the recently developed univariate and multivariate near-IR FT-Raman methods for estimating cellulose crystallinity, the former method was applied to a variety of lignocelluloses: softwoods, hardwoods, wood pulps, and agricultural residues/fibers. The effect of auto-fluorescence on the crystallinity estimation was minimized by solvent-extraction or chemical treatment or both. Additionally, when ...

Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) are routinely used for the marginal analysis of correlated data. The efficiency of GEE depends on how closely the working covariance structure resembles the true structure, and therefore accurate modeling of the working correlation of the data is important. A popular approach is the use of ...

Abstract Background: Laboratories today face increasing pressure to automate operations due to increasing workloads and the need to reduce expenditure. Few studies to date have focussed on the laboratory automation of preanalytical coagulation specimen processing. In the present study, we examined whether a clinical chemistry automation protocol meets the preanalytical ...

One of the standard methods of accounting for inter-population disease spread in equation-based epidemiology models is through a transportation operator. Implicit in the use of the transportation operator, however, is an assumption that daily travel volumes are small compared to overall population sizes, an assumption that can break down for ...

Building materials and their additives contain radioactive isotopes, which can increase both external and internal radioactive exposures of humans. In this study Hungarian natural (adobe) and artificial (brick, concrete, coal slag, coal slag concrete and gas silicate) building materials were examined. We qualified 40 samples based on their radium equivalent, ...

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to investigate the accuracy of the WISC-IV short forms in estimating Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) and General Ability Index (GAI) in pediatric epilepsy. Methods: One hundred and four children with epilepsy completed the WISC-IV as part of a neuropsychological assessment at a ...

The present study examines the extent to which increased nasal coupling affects estimates of glottal parameters derived from inverse filtering based on an all-pole assumption of the vocal tract. A series of steady-state tokens for five Swedish vowels were synthesized using the HLsyn quasi-articulatory synthesizer (Sensimetrics, Malden, MA). For each ...

Analysis of crossing fibers is a challenging topic in recent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Resolving crossing fibers is expected to bring major changes to present tractography results based on the standard tensor model. Model free approaches, like Q-ball or diffusion spectrum imaging, as well as multi-tensor models are used to unfold ...

Utilizing multiple biomarkers is increasingly common in epidemiology. However, the combined impact of correlated exposure measurement error, unmeasured confounding, interaction, and limits of detection (LODs) on inference for multiple biomarkers is unknown. We conducted data-driven simulations evaluating bias from correlated measurement error with varying reliability coefficients (R), odds ratios (ORs), ...

This work applied statistical process control to establish the control limits of the % gamma pass of patient-specific intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) quality assurance (QA), and to evaluate the efficiency of the QA process by using the process capability index (C(pml)). A total of ...

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of weight estimation (WE) in fetuses with breech presentation and to compare it directly with a control group of fetuses in vertex presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, the accuracy of WE in fetuses with breech presentation (n = 244) was evaluated using eight ...

The aim of the current study was to explore the use of the tracer 13C as an internal marker to assess feed fraction-specific digesta passage kinetics through the digestive tract of dairy cows. Knowledge on feed-specific fractional passage rates is essential to improve estimations on the extent of rumen degradation ...

The present study introduces a method to estimate the length of femora from partial elements, including incomplete diaphyseal fragments. The method is based on the measurements of several landmarks and distances between them, such as linea aspera length, intertrochanteric distance, the distance between the middle of the lesser trochanter and ...

Pharmaceutically relevant material characteristics are often analyzed based on univariate descriptors instead of utilizing the whole information available in the full distribution. One example is droplet size distribution, which is often described by the median droplet size and the width of the distribution. The current study was aiming to compare ...

Interest in cytokines as markers for the function of the immune system is increasing. Methods quantifying cytokine concentrations are often subject to detection limits, which lead to non-detectable observations and censored distributions. When distributions are skewed, geometric mean ratios (GMRs) can be used to describe the relative concentration between two ...

We consider a marginal model for the regression analysis of clustered failure time data with a cure fraction. We propose to use novel generalized estimating equations in an expectation-maximization algorithm to estimate regression parameters in a semiparametric proportional hazards mixture cure model. The dependence among the cure statuses and among ...

The brain uses sensory feedback to correct behavioral errors. Larger errors by definition require greater corrections, and many models of learning assume that larger sensory feedback errors drive larger motor changes. However, an alternative perspective is that larger errors drive learning less effectively because such errors fall outside the range ...

The radionuclide cesium-137 ((137)Cs) is produced exclusively by anthropogenic processes and primarily by nuclear explosions. This study determined the reference inventory that is (137)Cs associated with the element's original input, and utilized the levels of activity of this radionuclide previously measured in five sediment profiles collected from Admiralty Bay, Antarctica, ...

A new technique is described here to count mosquitoes using open-source software. We wanted to develop a protocol that would estimate the total number of mosquitoes from a picture using ImageJ. Adult mosquitoes from CO2-baited traps were spread on a tray and photographed. The total number of mosquitoes in a ...

We present a novel approach to transcranial B-mode sonography for Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis by using 3-D ultrasound (3-DUS). We reconstructed bilateral 3-DUS volumes of the midbrain and substantia nigra echogenicities (SNE) and report results of a more objective abnormality detection in (PD). For classification, we analyzed volumetric measurements of ...

Mouse models for human diseases play an important role in developing therapeutic measures and understanding disease development and mechanisms. Ventricular enlargement is an objective and sensitive biomarker of neuropathological change associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, imaging based volumetric measures of mouse brain ventricle can ...

In this paper, a bilateral prediction and intersection calculation autofocus method for automated microscopy, which obtains the in-focus position by calculating the intersection of the predicted left and right focus measure curves located respectively in the left and right sides of the peak position of the focus measure curve, is ...

The concentration and distribution of the natural radionuclides ((238)U, (232)Th and (40)K) have been analyzed for the beach sediments of Kerala with an aim of evaluating the radiation hazards. The ranges of activity concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K are BDL-1187±21.7Bq/kg, BDL-5328±23.2Bq/kg and BDL-693±31.2Bq/kg respectively. Radiological parameters such as absorbed ...

The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of regression equation for prediction of the mesiodistal diameter (MDD) of the crowns of canines and premolars (C, P1, P2), and to determine whether an incisal indexs can serve as a reliable predictor. MDD and vestibulooral diameter (VOD) of the ...

The critical indices α^{'}, β, γ^{'}, and δ of the Quark Gluon Bags with Surface Tension Model that has a critical endpoint are calculated and compared with the exponents of other models. These indices are expressed in terms of the most general parameters of the model. Despite the usual expectations ...

A novel analysis was undertaken to select a significant ultrasonographic parameter (USP) for classifying fetuses to support artificial neural network (ANN), and thus to enhance the accuracy of fetal weight estimation. In total, 2127 singletons were examined by prenatal ultrasound within 3 days before delivery. First, correlation analysis was used ...

The recent proliferation of correlated percolation models-models where the addition of edges and/or vertices is no longer independent of other edges and/or vertices-has been motivated by the quest to find discontinuous percolation transitions. The leader in this proliferation is what is known as explosive percolation. A recent proof demonstrates that ...

Despite its great success in improving the quality of a tetrahedral mesh, the original optimal Delaunay triangulation (ODT) is designed to move only inner vertices and thus cannot handle input meshes containing "bad" triangles on boundaries. In the current work, we present an integrated approach called boundary-optimized Delaunay triangulation (B-ODT) ...

Abstract Lymphoedema treatment outcome can be evaluated by calculating estimated limb volumes directly by water displacement (plethysmography; PG), or indirectly by circumference measurements (CM) and using the formula for a truncated cone. This study assessed the correlation between PG and circumference volume measurements to assess whether the correlation is acceptable, ...

We describe a model for evaluating the throughput capacity of a single-accelerator multitreatment room proton therapy centre with the aims of (1) providing quantitative estimates of the throughput and waiting times and (2) providing insight into the sensitivity of the system to various physical parameters. A Monte Carlo approach was ...

A popular method of measuring the thermal conductivity of thin films and substrates, the "3-omega" method, is modified to yield a new technique for measuring the anisotropy in thermal transport in bulk materials. The validity of the proposed technique is established by measuring the thermal conductivity of strontium titanate, which ...

Posterior shoulder tightness (PST) has been implicated in the etiology of numerous shoulder disorders. Although reliable and valid measures have been described for the non-operative population one does not exist for the post-operative population. Blinded repeated measures design. Investigate the intrarater reliability, minimal detectable change at the 90% confidence interval ...

To derive regression formulae for stature estimation using forensic radiography from the tibia and fibula of Chinese Han teenagers in Sichuan Province. To construct equations, measurements were conducted on the training sample (412 adults, 201 males and 211 females). The whole length of the fibula and four measurements of tibia ...

Polymerization shrinkage can result in poor denture fit. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of heat-polymerized acrylic bases on simulated edentulous metal ridges having simplified and standardized geometric configurations. Analysis of variance was used to explore the relationship between fit and ridge-slope/ridge-convergences. The outcome of that ...

A six-day tunnel field study was conducted in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, during June 2009 to derive on-road emission factors (EFs)for trace gases and fine particulate matter from the local vehicle fleet. The Loma Larga Tunnel (LLT) is a 532-m-long structure that is mainly used by light-duty gasoline-powered vehicles. ...

Many registration agencies and other organizations define how to calculate the elimination rate constant (kel) value. No validation procedures have been introduced to verify the correct selection of the concentration-time (C-T) points used for the kel calculation. The purpose of this paper is to discover whether kel analysis can be ...

PURPOSE: Left atrial volume is an important predictor of future arrhythmias, and it can be assessed by several different methods. Simpson's method is well accepted as a reference standard, although no standardization exists for cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). We aimed to compare the estimations of left atrial volumes obtained by ...

The critical point coordinates of Beryllium have been calculated by means of recently found similarity relations between the Zeno-line and the critical point parameters. We have used the NVT MC simulations and pseudopotential theory to calculate the Zeno-line parameters together with the data of isobaric measurements to construct the liquid ...

BACKGROUND: The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a main quality indicator in colonoscopy but has many challenges for calculating. The polypectomy rate (PR) may be calculable from administrative claims data, but this has not been validated against the ADR. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a PR calculated from United States billing ...

The impact of stored water on estimates of transpiration from scaled sap flux measurements was assessed in mature Pinus taeda (L.) at the Duke Free-Air CO(2) Enrichment (FACE) site. We used a simple hydraulic model with measurements of sap flux (J) at breast height and the base of the live ...

Measurement is the basis for assessing potential improvements in healthcare quality. Measures may be classified into four categories: volume, structure, outcome, and process (VSOP). Measures of each type should used with a full understanding of their cost and benefit. Although volume and structure measures are easily collected, impact on healthcare ...

In this paper, the design problem of state estimator for genetic regulatory networks with time delays and randomly occurring uncertainties has been addressed by a delay decomposition approach. The norm-bounded uncertainties enter into the genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) in random ways, and such randomly occurring uncertainties (ROUs) obey certain mutually ...

The fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) is a key vegetation biophysical variable in most production efficiency models (PEMs). Operational FAPAR products derived from satellite data do not distinguish between the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by nonphotosynthetic and photosynthetic components of vegetation canopy, which would result ...

Chromium isotope fractionation is indicative of mass-transfer processes, such as reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) during groundwater remediation. Laboratory experiments comparing batch and column treatment of Cr(VI) using organic carbon suggest that the associated isotope fractionation may be influenced by solute-transport mechanisms. These batch and column experiments were simulated using ...

A procedure for the construction and the classification of monoatomic multilattices in arbitrary dimension is developed. The algorithm allows one to determine the location of the points of all monoatomic multilattices with a given symmetry, or to determine whether two assigned multilattices are arithmetically equivalent. This approach is based on ...

Purpose:To compare four known pharmacokinetic models for their ability to describe dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of carotid atherosclerotic plaques, to determine reproducibility, and to validate the results with histologic findings.Materials and Methods:The study was approved by the institutional medical ethics committee. Written informed consent was obtained from ...

We apply the sum-over-states approach to calculate partial contributions to parity nonconservation (PNC) in cesium [Porsev, Beloy, and Drevianko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 181601 (2009)]. We find significant corrections to two nondominating terms coming from the contribution of the core and highly excited states (n>9, the so called tail). When ...

When a granular system is tapped, its volume changes. Here, using a well-defined macroscopic protocol, we prepare an ensemble of granular systems and track the statistics of volume changes as a function of the number of taps. This is in contrast to previous studies, which have focused on single trajectories ...