Objective-To assess the agreement and reliability of cardiac measurements obtained with 3 echocardiographic techniques in anesthetized red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Animals-10 red-tailed hawks. Procedures-Transcoelomic, contrast transcoelomic, and transesophageal echocardiographic evaluations of the hawks were performed, and cineloops of imaging planes were recorded. Three observers performed echocardiographic measurements of cardiac variables ...

The estimate of free energy changes based on Bennett's acceptance ratio method is examined in several limiting cases and compared with other estimates based on the Jarzynski equality and on the Crooks relation. While the absolute amount of the dissipated work, defined as the surplus of the average work over ...

Purpose: The dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) in the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system is determined during commissioning and is used to model the effect of the rounded leaf-end of the multileaf collimator (MLC). This parameter attempts to model the physical difference between the radiation and light field and account for ...

This paper addresses the high-precision measurement of the distortion of a digital camera from photographs. Traditionally, this distortion is measured from photographs of a flat pattern that contains aligned elements. Nevertheless, it is nearly impossible to fabricate a very flat pattern and to validate its flatness. This fact limits the ...

A new mathematical equation characterizing the compression of pharmaceutical materials is presented. This equation presumed that the rate of change of the compressible volume of powder with respect to the pressure is proportional to the compressible volume. The new model provided a good fit to several model substances employing non-linear ...

Measurement of radiological angles can be useful in the planning of the management of patients with hallux valgus. A smartphone application offers an alternative way of measuring these angles in a clinic setting. We compared the reliability (inter- and intra-observer) of this method to the use of PACS. Radiographs of ...

The N-FINDR algorithm for unmixing hyperspectral data is both popular and successful. However, opportunities for improving the algorithm exist, particularly to reduce its computational expense. Two approaches to achieve this are examined. First, the redundancy inherent in the determinant calculations at the heart of N-FINDR is reduced using an LDU ...

Noise in fMRI recordings creates uncertainty when mapping functional networks in the brain. Non-neural physiological processes can introduce correlated noise across much of the brain, altering the apparent strength and extent of intrinsic networks. In this work, a new data-driven noise correction, termed "APPLECOR" (for Affine Parameterization of Physiological Large-scale ...

The first observation of the decay B^{0}→D[over ¯]^{0}K^{+}K^{-} is reported from an analysis of 0.62  fb^{-1} of pp collision data collected with the LHCb detector. Its branching fraction is measured relative to that of the topologically similar decay B^{0}→D[over ¯]^{0}π^{+}π^{-} to be B(B^{0}→D[over ¯]^{0}K^{+}K^{-})/B(B^{0}→D[over ¯]^{0}π^{+}π^{-})=0.056±0.011±0.007,where the first uncertainty is statistical and ...

Mapping the longitudinal relaxation time (T(1)) of brain tissue is of great interest for both clinical research and MRI sequence development. For an unambiguous interpretation of in vivo variations in T(1) images, it is important to understand the degree of variability that is associated with the quantitative T(1) parameter. This ...

A missing texture reconstruction method based on an error reduction (ER) algorithm including a novel estimation scheme of Fourier transform magnitudes is presented in this correspondence. In our method, Fourier transform magnitude is estimated for a target patch including missing areas, and the missing intensities are estimated by retrieving its ...

Information flow between brain areas is difficult to estimate from EEG measurements due to the presence of noise as well as due to volume conduction. We here test the ability of popular measures of effective connectivity to detect an underlying neuronal interaction from simulated EEG data, as well as the ...

A new heuristic algorithm based on the so-called geometric distance sorting technique is proposed for solving the fluence map optimization with dose-volume constraints which is one of the most essential tasks for inverse planning in IMRT. The framework of the proposed method is basically an iterative process which begins with ...

In situ diffusion experiments are performed in geological formations at underground research laboratories to overcome the limitations of laboratory diffusion experiments and investigate scale effects. Tracer concentrations are monitored at the injection interval during the experiment (dilution data) and measured from host rock samples around the injection interval at the ...

Many clinical trials compare the efficacy of K (≥3) treatments in repeated measurement studies. However, the design of such trials have received relatively less attention from researchers. Zhang & Ahn (2012) derived a closed-form sample size formula for two-sample comparisons of time-averaged responses using the generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach, ...

The name of the third author and an error in equation (9) of the article by Markvardsen et al. [Acta Cryst. (2001). A57, 47-54] are corrected.

Recently, de-Camino-Beck and Lewis (Bull Math Biol 69:1341-1354, 2007) have presented a method that under certain restricted conditions allows computing the basic reproduction ratio [Formula: see text] in a simple manner from life cycle graphs, without, however, giving an explicit indication of these conditions. In this paper, we give various ...

Protozoan growth rates are typically estimated with the size fractionation method in which the organisms studied are separated from the larger grazers. This method was compared with a specially modified dilution method which removed not only the grazing pressure of larger grazers but also that of predators of the same ...

Error detection serves 2 different functions: prevention and cure. Prevention engages post-error slowing to reduce future errors, whereas cure engages processes that correct the error. Thus, prevention predicts post-error slowing, and cure does not. We investigated this distinction in skilled typists in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, post-error performance was ...

We prove fractional analogs of the classical Sylvester-Gallai theorem. Our theorems translate local information about collinear triples in a set of points into global bounds on the dimension of the set. Specifically, we show that if for every points v in a finite set , there are at least δ|V| ...

Fractionation is arguably the greatest cause of gene order disruption following whole genome duplication, causing severe biases in chromosome rearrangement-based estimates of evolutionary divergence. We show how to correct for this bias almost entirely by means of a 'consolidation' algorithm for detecting and suitably transforming identifiable regions of fractionation. We ...

Schmittner et al. (Reports, 9 December 2011, p. 1385) report a new, low estimate of equilibrium climate sensitivity based on a comparison of Last Glacial Maximum climate model simulations and paleoproxy data. Here, we show that exclusion of questionable comparison points and constructive changes to model design are both likely ...

The classical steady-state Smoluchowski model for Brownian coagulation is evaluated using Brownian Dynamics Simulations (BDS) as a benchmark. The predictions of this approach compare favorably with the results of BDS only in the dilute limit, that is, for volume fractions of ϕ⩽5×10(-4). From the solution of the more general unsteady-state ...

In Alzheimer's disease (AD) and tauopathies, tau becomes hyperphosphorylated, undergoes a conformational change, and becomes aggregated and insoluble. There are three methods commonly used to study the insoluble tau fraction, two that utilize detergents (Sarkosyl and RIPA) and another that does not (insoluble). However, these methods require large amounts of ...

Nucleofugalities of pentafluorobenzoate (PFB) and 2,4,6-trifluorobenzoate (TFB) leaving groups have been derived from the solvolysis rate constants of X,Y-substituted benzhydryl PFBs and TFBs measured in the series of aqueous solvents, by applying the LFER equation: log k = sf (Ef + Nf). The heterolysis rate constants of dianisylmethyl PFB and ...

The problem of estimating magnetic nanoparticle distributions from magnetorelaxometric measurements is addressed here. The objective of this work was to identify source grid parameters that provide a good condition for the related linear inverse problem. The parameters investigated here were the number of sources, the extension of the source grid, ...

We study the Bayesian process to estimate the features of the environment. We focus on two aspects of the Bayesian process: how estimation error depends on the prior distribution of features and how the prior distribution can be learned from experience. The accuracy of the perception is underestimated when each ...

Background. The intermetatarsal angle (IMA), the hallux valgus angle (HVA), and the lateral sesamoid malalignment in relation to the first metatarsal are among the most commonly employed parameters to estimate the severity of the deformity. The aim of this study was to compare HV angular measurements and a linear measurement ...

Given the rapid convergence characteristic of the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm, this study proposes a method that applies the algorithm to a two-step camera calibration method to resolve the frequent iteration and long calibration time deficiencies that exist under the traditional two-step camera calibration method, thereby achieving rapid ...

Recently, phylogenetics has expanded to routinely include estimation of clade ages in addition to their relationships. Various dating methods have been used, but their relative performance remains understudied. Here, we generate and assemble an extensive phylogenomic data set for squamate reptiles (e.g., lizards and snakes) and evaluate two widely used ...

Three travel cost models are used to estimate non-fishing recreation demand at the Snake River reservoirs recreation area in eastern Washington. The opportunity cost of time is specified in the "traditional" and McConnell-Strand models as a fraction of the exogenous market wage rate and in the two-step decision model as ...

MOTIVATION: A common practice in biomarker discovery is to decide whether a large laboratory experiment should be carried out based on the results of a preliminary study on a small set of specimens. Consideration of the efficacy of this approach motivates the introduction of a probabilistic measure for whether a ...

Using a novel theoretical approach, we study the mean first-encounter time (MFET) between the two ends of a polymer. Previous approaches used various simplifications that reduced the complexity of the problem, leading, however, to incompatible results. We construct here for the first time a general theory that allows us to ...

In structural studies of large proteins by NMR, global fold determination plays an increasingly important role in providing a first look at a target's topology and reducing assignment ambiguity in NOESY spectra of fully-protonated samples. In this work, we demonstrate the use of ultrasparse sampling, a new data processing algorithm, ...

RNA transcripts such as mRNA or microRNA are frequently used as biomarkers to determine disease state or response to therapy. Reverse transcription (RT) in combination with quantitative PCR (qPCR) has become the method of choice to quantify small amounts of such RNA molecules. In parallel with the democratization of RT-qPCR ...

This paper introduces dynamic time series modeling in a Bayesian framework to uncover temporal patterns in highway crashes in Connecticut. Existing state sources provide data describing the time for each crash and demographic attributes of persons involved over the time period from January 1995 to December 2009 as well as ...

For a continuous outcome in a two-arm trial that satisfies normal distribution assumptions, we can transform the standardized mean difference with the use of the cumulative distribution function to be the effect size measure P(X < Y ). This measure is already established within engineering as the reliability parameter in stress-strength models, where ...

The simultaneous evaluation of the local electrocorticogram (ECoG) and the more broadly distributed electroencephalogram (EEG) from humans undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery has been shown to further the understanding of how pathologies give rise to spontaneous seizures. However, a well-known problem is that the disruption of the conducting properties of ...

In this research, a spherical microphone array and a dummy head were used to measure room impulse responses in a wide variety of concert and recital halls throughout New York State. Auralizations were created for both headphone playback and second-order ambisonic playback via a loudspeaker array. These two systems were ...

In this study, a quantitative structure-pharmacokinetic relationship (QSPkR) model for the volume of distribution (Vd) values of 126 anti-infective drugs in humans was developed employing multiple linear regression (MLR), artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector regression (SVM) using theoretical molecular structural descriptors. A correlation-based feature selection (CFS) was employed ...

Abstract Purpose . The purpose of this study was to identify the association of environmental, managerial, and sociodemographic variables with hiker volume on the Florida National Scenic Trail. Design . Monthly hiker count data from 43 count stations along the Florida National Scenic Trail were used. For each station the ...

Repeatability and reproducibility data for microbiological methods in food analysis were collated and assessed with a view to identifying useful or important trends. Generalized additive modeling for location, shape, and scale was used to model the distribution of variances. It was found that mean reproducibility for log10(CFU) data is largely ...

Accurate children's weight estimation is necessary and important for emergency pediatric care, particularly for drug dosages, electrical therapy, or equipment sizes. Children's weight is difficult to measure in critically ill patients. Several methods were developed to estimate children's accurate weight. Most methods were developed from western countries. The methods used ...

To achieve a more complete understanding of the parameters involved in the structural acoustics of impact pile driving, a scaled physical model was developed and tested. While the design of the scaled model has been presented previously (Woolfe et al., JASA 130: 2558, 2011), this presentation focuses on analysis of ...

Glucose meter performance is commonly measured in several different ways, including the relative bias and coefficient of variation (CV), the total error, the mean absolute relative deviation (MARD), and the size of the interval around the reference value that would be necessary to contain a meter measurement at a specified ...

Our objectives were to determine the validity and reproducibility of measurements on stereolithographic models and 3-dimensional digital dental models made with an intraoral scanner. Ten dry human skulls were scanned; from the scans, stereolithographic models and digital models were made. Two observers measured transversal distances, mesiodistal tooth widths, and arch ...

Mixed dentition arch analysis system is an important criterion in determining the type of orthodontic treatment plan. Different mixed dentition arch analysis system are available and among them both Moyer's and Tanaka-Jhonson method of space analysis was developed for North American children. Anthropological study reveals that tooth size varies among ...

Quantitative ultrasonic techniques using backscatter coefficients (BSCs) may fail to produce physically meaningful estimates of effective scatterer diameter (ESD) when the analysis media contains scatterers of different sizes. In this work, three different estimator algorithms were used to produce estimates of ESD. The performance of the three estimators was compared ...

To measure impulse responses in rooms and free fields is a daily Job for acousticians but mainly this is done in unoccupied cases. Results for the occupied case are derived by use of simulation software or by estimations based on experience. Using a newly developed multithread algorithm speech, music or ...

San Francesco della Vigna is the oldest church in Venice for which there is evidence that acoustic considerations were taken into account in the architectural design. Francesco Zorzi, a humanist scholar, recommended that the church have a flat wooden coffered ceiling to improve the intelligibility of the sermons preached there. ...