194 research outputs found
Sub-Riemannian Fast Marching in SE(2)
We propose a Fast Marching based implementation for computing sub-Riemanninan
(SR) geodesics in the roto-translation group SE(2), with a metric depending on
a cost induced by the image data. The key ingredient is a Riemannian
approximation of the SR-metric. Then, a state of the art Fast Marching solver
that is able to deal with extreme anisotropies is used to compute a SR-distance
map as the solution of a corresponding eikonal equation. Subsequent
backtracking on the distance map gives the geodesics. To validate the method,
we consider the uniform cost case in which exact formulas for SR-geodesics are
known and we show remarkable accuracy of the numerically computed SR-spheres.
We also show a dramatic decrease in computational time with respect to a
previous PDE-based iterative approach. Regarding image analysis applications,
we show the potential of considering these data adaptive geodesics for a fully
automated retinal vessel tree segmentation.Comment: CIARP 201
Application de la technique de 137Cs Ă l'estimation de l'Ă©rosion hydrique dans le bassin versant de Moulay Bouchta, Rif occidental, Maroc
Au Maroc, lâĂ©rosion hydrique est un processus majeur de dĂ©gradation des sols, en particulier dans la zone rifaine, oĂč lâĂ©rosion engendre des dĂ©gĂąts importants en amont et en aval des structures hydrauliques, remettant en cause la durabilitĂ© de lâexploitation de ces derniĂšres. De mĂȘme, lâĂ©valuation quantitative de ce processus reste difficile Ă mettre en oeuvre du fait de la complexitĂ© du comportement des particules du sol, aussi bien dans lâespace que dans le temps, en rĂ©ponse Ă la diversitĂ© et lâinteraction des facteurs naturels et anthropiques. Câest ainsi quâon propose dâĂ©valuer les sĂ©diments dĂ©placĂ©s qui sont lâĂ©lĂ©ment perceptible de ce phĂ©nomĂšne Ă travers le suivi du traceur radioactif le CĂ©sium 137 (137Cs) caractĂ©risĂ© par son affinitĂ© aux particules fines du sol (argile et matiĂšre organique). La mĂ©thodologie adoptĂ©e combine lâutilisation de la technique du 137Cs et les SystĂšmes dâInformation GĂ©ographique (SIG), ainsi, on a dĂ©fini une trentaine dâunitĂ©s fonctionnelles combinant trois paramĂštres agro-environnementaux « lâoccupation du sol, le type de sol et lâinclinaison de la pente ». JusquâĂ prĂ©sent, on a Ă©chantillonnĂ© 9 unitĂ©s, reprĂ©sentant 68% du bassin versant, deux sites de rĂ©fĂ©rence et un prĂ©lĂšvement au niveau de la retenue du barrage pour Ă©valuer le taux de sĂ©dimentation. Ensuite, les Ă©chantillons ont Ă©tĂ© analysĂ©s par spectromĂ©trie gamma, les activitĂ©s du 137Cs (Bq/kg), ainsi obtenues, sont converties en taux de perte ou de gain du sol (t/ha/an) Ă lâaide du modĂšle masse balance 2 (MBM2) pour les sites perturbĂ©s (terrains cultivĂ©s) et le modĂšle de diffusion et migration (DMM) pour les sites non perturbĂ©s (forĂȘts et matorrals). Les rĂ©sultats des pertes en sol Ă long terme (~ 50 ans) montrent que la majoritĂ© des sĂ©diments arrachĂ©s (98%) proviennent des terrains cultivĂ©s. Ces terrains prĂ©sentent des taux dâĂ©rosion variant de 18 Ă 36 (t/ha/an), alors que les sites du matorral et de la forĂȘt prĂ©sentent des taux dâĂ©rosion nettement plus faibles, ne dĂ©passant pas 4,5 (t/ha/an). Ainsi, lâĂ©rosion globale calculĂ©e par pondĂ©ration des surfaces de production de chaque unitĂ© de mĂȘme sensibilitĂ© Ă lâĂ©rosion est estimĂ©e Ă 23 (t/ha/an). Dâun autre cotĂ©, le taux de sĂ©dimentation mesurĂ© dans la retenue du barrage montre que 0,34 cm de sĂ©diments sont dĂ©posĂ©s chaque annĂ©e, soit une dĂ©gradation spĂ©cifique de 50 (t/ha/an)
Production, characterization, and antigen specificity of recombinant 62-71-3, a candidate monoclonal antibody for rabies prophylaxis in humans
Rabies kills many people throughout the developing world every year. The murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) 62-71-3 was recently identified for its potential application in rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). The purpose here was to establish a plant-based production system for a chimeric mouse-human version of mAb 62-71-3, to characterize the recombinant antibody and investigate at a molecular level its interaction with rabies virus glycoprotein. Chimeric 62-71-3 was successfully expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Glycosylation was analyzed by mass spectroscopy; functionality was confirmed by antigen ELISA, as well as rabies and pseudotype virus neutralization. Epitope characterization was performed using pseudotype virus expressing mutagenized rabies glycoproteins. Purified mAb demonstrated potent viral neutralization at 500 IU/mg. A critical role for antigenic site I of the glycoprotein, as well as for two specific amino acid residues (K226 and G229) within site I, was identified with regard to mAb 62-71-3 neutralization. Pseudotype viruses expressing glycoprotein from lyssaviruses known not to be neutralized by this antibody were the controls. The results provide the molecular rationale for developing 62-71-3 mAb for rabies PEP; they also establish the basis for developing an inexpensive plant-based antibody product to benefit low-income families in developing countries.âBoth, L., van Dolleweerd, C., Wright, E., Banyard, A. C., Bulmer-Thomas, B., Selden, D., Altmann, F., Fooks, A. R., Ma, J. K.-C. Production, characterization, and antigen specificity of recombinant 62-71-3, a candidate monoclonal antibody for rabies prophylaxis in humans
The measuring systems of the wire tension for the MEG II Drift Chamber by means of the resonant frequency technique
The ultra-low mass Cylindrical Drift Chamber designed for the MEG experiment
upgrade is a challenging apparatus made of 1728 phi = 20 micron gold plated
tungsten sense wires, 7680 phi = 40 micron and 2496 phi = 50 micron silver
plated aluminum field wires. Because of electrostatic stability requirements
all the wires have to be stretched at mechanical tensions of about 25, 19 and
29 g respectively which must be controlled at a level better than 0.5 g. This
chamber is presently in acquisition, but during its construction about 100
field wires broke, because of chemical corrosion induced by the atmospheric
humidity. On the basis of the experience gained with this chamber we decided to
build a new one, equipped with a different type of wires less sensitive to
corrosion. The choice of the new wire required a deep inspection of its
characteristics and one of the main tools for doing this is a system for
measuring the wire tension by means of the resonant frequency technique, which
is described in this paper. The system forces the wires to oscillate by
applying a sinusoidal signal at a known frequency, and then measures the
variation of the capacitance between a wire and a common ground plane as a
function of the external signal frequency. We present the details of the
measuring system and the results obtained by scanning the mechanical tensions
of two samples of MEG II CDCH wires and discuss the possible improvements of
the experimental apparatus and of the measuring technique.Comment: Ten pages, twelve figures, to be submitted to Nuclear Instruments and
Methods
Performances of a new generation tracking detector: the MEG II cylindrical drfit chamber
The cylindrical drift chamber is the most innovative part of the MEG~II
detector, the upgraded version of the MEG experiment. The MEG~II chamber
differs from the MEG one because it is a single volume cylindrical structure,
instead of a segmented one, chosen to improve its resolutions and efficiency in
detecting low energy positrons from muon decays at rest. In this paper, we show
the characteristics and performances of this fundamental part of the MEG~II
apparatus and we discuss the impact of its higher resolution and efficiency on
the sensitivity of the MEG~II experiment. Because of its innovative structure
and high quality resolution and efficiency the MEG~II cylindrical drift chamber
will be a cornerstone in the development of an ideal tracking detector for
future positron-electron collider machines.Comment: 27 pages, 41 figures, to be submitted to EPJ
PublicâPrivate Partnership in Tunisia: Enfidha Airport Assessment of an Infrastructure Achievement
One of the largest recent private-sector investments and the first airport private-sector concession
in the Maghreb is Enfidha Airport, a key factor in the success of the Tunisian Governmentâs publicâ
private partnership (PPP) strategy. However, since Tunisiaâs Jasmine Revolution, political and social
turmoil is sweeping the country and worsening the economic indicators. This article aims to assess
this PPP infrastructure, allowing us to determine if it is profitable in the long term and contributes
therefore to the economic growth. The case study reveals the key role of the economic, social, and
political environment in Tunisia, the dawn of the Arab Spring
Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Non-Linear Brain Distribution of Fluvoxamine in the Rat
Introduction. A pharmacokinetic (PK) model is proposed for estimation of total and free brain concentrations of fluvoxamine. Materials and methods. Rats with arterial and venous cannulas and a microdialysis probe in the frontal cortex received intravenous infusions of 1, 3.7 or 7.3 mg.kg j1 of fluvoxamine. Analysis. With increasing dose a disproportional increase in brain concentrations was observed. Th
Genetic Resistance to Rhabdovirus Infection in Teleost Fish Is Paralleled to the Derived Cell Resistance Status
Genetic factors of resistance and predisposition to viral diseases explain a significant part of the clinical variability observed within host populations. Predisposition to viral diseases has been associated to MHC haplotypes and T cell immunity, but a growing repertoire of innate/intrinsic factors are implicated in the genetic determinism of the host susceptibility to viruses. In a long-term study of the genetics of host resistance to fish rhabdoviruses, we produced a collection of double-haploid rainbow trout clones showing a wide range of susceptibility to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) waterborne infection. The susceptibility of fibroblastic cell lines derived from these clonal fish was fully consistent with the susceptibility of the parental fish clones. The mechanisms determining the host resistance therefore did not associate with specific host immunity, but rather with innate or intrinsic factors. One cell line was resistant to rhabdovirus infection due to the combination of an early interferon IFN induction - that was not observed in the susceptible cells - and of yet unknown factors that hamper the first steps of the viral cycle. The implication of IFN was well consistent with the wide range of resistance of this genetic background to VSHV and IHNV, to the birnavirus IPNV and the orthomyxovirus ISAV. Another cell line was even more refractory to the VHSV infection through different antiviral mechanisms. This collection of clonal fish and isogenic cell lines provides an interesting model to analyze the relative contribution of antiviral pathways to the resistance to different viruses
A formal classification of the Lygeum spartum vegetation of the Mediterranean Region
Aims We examined local and regional contribution on the grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum from Southern Europe and North Africa to produce a formalised classification of this vegetation and to identify main factors driving its plant species composition. Location Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula. Methods We used a dataset of 728 relevĂ©s, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, resulting in a dataset of 568 relevĂ©s and 846 taxa. We classified the plots by TWINSPAN, interpreted the resulting pools, and used them to develop formal definitions of phytosociological alliances characterised by L. spartum vegetation. The definitions were included in an expert system to assist automatic vegetation classification. We related the alliances to climatic factors and described their biogeographical features and ecological preferences. The floristic relationships between these alliances were analysed and visualised using distanceâbased redundancy analysis. Results We defined eleven alliances of L. spartum vegetation, including the newly described Launaeo laniferaeâLygeion sparti from SW Morocco and the Noaeo mucronataeâLygeion sparti from the Algerian highlands and NE Morocco. Biogeographical, climatic, and edaphic factors were revealed as putatively driving the differentiation between the alliances. The vegetation of clayey slopes and inland salt basins displayed higher variability in comparison with those of coastal salt marshes. Main conclusions The most comprehensive formal classification, accompanied by an expert system, of the L. spartum vegetation was formulated. The expert system, containing the formal definitions of the phytosociological alliances, will assist in identification of syntaxonomic position of new datasets
Modulation of Serotonin Transporter Function during Fetal Development Causes Dilated Heart Cardiomyopathy and Lifelong Behavioral Abnormalities
BACKGROUND: Women are at great risk for mood and anxiety disorders during their childbearing years and may become pregnant while taking antidepressant drugs. In the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most frequently prescribed drugs, while it is largely unknown whether this medication affects the development of the central nervous system of the fetus. The possible effects are the product of placental transfer efficiency, time of administration and dose of the respective SSRI. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In order to attain this information we have setup a study in which these parameters were measured and the consequences in terms of physiology and behavior are mapped. The placental transfer of fluoxetine and fluvoxamine, two commonly used SSRIs, was similar between mouse and human, indicating that the fetal exposure of these SSRIs in mice is comparable with the human situation. Fluvoxamine displayed a relatively low placental transfer, while fluoxetine showed a relatively high placental transfer. Using clinical doses of fluoxetine the mortality of the offspring increased dramatically, whereas the mortality was unaffected after fluvoxamine exposure. The majority of the fluoxetine-exposed offspring died postnatally of severe heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy. Molecular analysis of fluoxetine-exposed offspring showed long-term alterations in serotonin transporter levels in the raphe nucleus. Furthermore, prenatal fluoxetine exposure resulted in depressive- and anxiety-related behavior in adult mice. In contrast, fluvoxamine-exposed mice did not show alterations in behavior and serotonin transporter levels. Decreasing the dose of fluoxetine resulted in higher survival rates and less dramatic effects on the long-term behavior in the offspring. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that prenatal fluoxetine exposure affects fetal development, resulting in cardiomyopathy and a higher vulnerability to affective disorders in a dose-dependent manner
- âŠ