1,615 research outputs found
Effects of Fluorescein Staining on Laser In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Images of the Cornea
This study was designed to identify whether topical fluorescein, a common ophthalmic tool, affects laser in vivo confocal microscopy of the cornea, a tool with growing applications. Twenty-five eye care specialists were asked to identify presence or absence of fluorescein in 99 confocal micrographs of healthy corneas. Responses were statistically similar to guessing for the epithelium (48% ± 14% of respondents correct per image) and the subbasal nerve plexus (49% ± 11% correct), but results were less clear for the stroma. Dendritic immune cells were quantified in bilateral images from subjects who had been unilaterally stained with fluorescein. Density of dendritic immune cells was statistically similar between the unstained and contralateral stained eyes of 24 contact lens wearers (P = .72) and of 10 nonwearers (P = .53). Overall, the results indicated that fluorescein staining did not interfere with laser confocal microscopy of corneal epithelium, subbasal nerves, or dendritic immune cells
A functional non-central limit theorem for jump-diffusions with periodic coefficients driven by stable Levy-noise
We prove a functional non-central limit theorem for jump-diffusions with
periodic coefficients driven by strictly stable Levy-processes with stability
index bigger than one. The limit process turns out to be a strictly stable Levy
process with an averaged jump-measure. Unlike in the situation where the
diffusion is driven by Brownian motion, there is no drift related enhancement
of diffusivity.Comment: Accepted to Journal of Theoretical Probabilit
Dendritic immune cell densities in the central cornea associated with soft contact lens types and lens care solution types: a pilot study
Spatial mapping and prediction of Plasmodium falciparum infection risk among school-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire
BACKGROUND: In Côte d'Ivoire, malaria remains a major public health issue, and thus a priority to be tackled. The aim of this study was to identify spatially explicit indicators of Plasmodium falciparum infection among school-aged children and to undertake a model-based spatial prediction of P. falciparum infection risk using environmental predictors.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, including parasitological examinations and interviews with more than 5,000 children from 93 schools across Côte d'Ivoire. A finger-prick blood sample was obtained from each child to determine Plasmodium species-specific infection and parasitaemia using Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Household socioeconomic status was assessed through asset ownership and household characteristics. Children were interviewed for preventive measures against malaria. Environmental data were gathered from satellite images and digitized maps. A Bayesian geostatistical stochastic search variable selection procedure was employed to identify factors related to P. falciparum infection risk. Bayesian geostatistical logistic regression models were used to map the spatial distribution of P. falciparum infection and to predict the infection prevalence at non-sampled locations via Bayesian kriging.
RESULTS: Complete data sets were available from 5,322 children aged 5-16 years across Côte d'Ivoire. P. falciparum was the predominant species (94.5 %). The Bayesian geostatistical variable selection procedure identified land cover and socioeconomic status as important predictors for infection risk with P. falciparum. Model-based prediction identified high P. falciparum infection risk in the north, central-east, south-east, west and south-west of Côte d'Ivoire. Low-risk areas were found in the south-eastern area close to Abidjan and the south-central and west-central part of the country.
CONCLUSIONS: The P. falciparum infection risk and related uncertainty estimates for school-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire represent the most up-to-date malaria risk maps. These tools can be used for spatial targeting of malaria control interventions
Remarks on Semileptonic B and D Decays into Orbitally Excited Mesons
We have obtained the differential decay rate and calculated the branching
ratios of the exclusive semileptonic decays , where is a
p-wave meson, using the nonrelativistic ISGW quark model. Our results are
compared with the predictions of the ISGW2 model. We have computed some
branching ratios that were not reported or were reported with 0.00 in this
model. For example, we find that , and , which seems to be
at the reach of forthcoming experiments. Furthermore, we have classified the
decays in two groups and compared the semileptonic and
nonleptonic decays including a tensor meson in the final state.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe
Education and transfer of water competencies: An ecological dynamics approach
© The Author(s) 2020. To cope in various aquatic environments (i.e. swimming pools, lakes, rivers, oceans), learners require a wide repertoire of self-regulatory behaviours such as awareness of obstacles and water properties, floating and moving from point to point with different strokes, decision making, emotional control and breathing efficiently. By experiencing different learning situations in stable indoor pool environments, it is assumed that children strengthen aquatic competencies that should be transferable to functioning in open water environments, where prevalence of drowning is high. However, this fundamental assumption may be misleading. Here, we propose the application of a clear, related methodology and theoretical framework that could be useful to help physical education curriculum specialists (re)shape and (re)design appropriate aquatic learning situations to facilitate better transfer of learning. We discuss the need for more representativeness in a learning environment, proposing how the many different task and environmental constraints on aquatic actions may bound the emergence of functional, self-regulatory behaviours in learners. Ideas in ecological dynamics suggest that physical educators should design learning environments that offer a rich landscape of opportunities for action for learners. As illustration, three practice interventions are described for developing functional and transferrable skills in indoor aquatic environments. It is important that aquatic educators focus not just upon ‘learning to swim’, but particularly on relevant transferable skills and self-regulatory behaviours deemed necessary for functioning in dynamic, outdoor aquatic environments
Education and transfer of water competencies: An ecological dynamics approach
© The Author(s) 2020. To cope in various aquatic environments (i.e. swimming pools, lakes, rivers, oceans), learners require a wide repertoire of self-regulatory behaviours such as awareness of obstacles and water properties, floating and moving from point to point with different strokes, decision making, emotional control and breathing efficiently. By experiencing different learning situations in stable indoor pool environments, it is assumed that children strengthen aquatic competencies that should be transferable to functioning in open water environments, where prevalence of drowning is high. However, this fundamental assumption may be misleading. Here, we propose the application of a clear, related methodology and theoretical framework that could be useful to help physical education curriculum specialists (re)shape and (re)design appropriate aquatic learning situations to facilitate better transfer of learning. We discuss the need for more representativeness in a learning environment, proposing how the many different task and environmental constraints on aquatic actions may bound the emergence of functional, self-regulatory behaviours in learners. Ideas in ecological dynamics suggest that physical educators should design learning environments that offer a rich landscape of opportunities for action for learners. As illustration, three practice interventions are described for developing functional and transferrable skills in indoor aquatic environments. It is important that aquatic educators focus not just upon ‘learning to swim’, but particularly on relevant transferable skills and self-regulatory behaviours deemed necessary for functioning in dynamic, outdoor aquatic environments
Search for Charged Current Coherent Pion Production on Carbon in a Few-GeV Neutrino Beam
The SciBooNE Collaboration has performed a search for charged current
coherent pion production from muon neutrinos scattering on carbon, \nu_\mu
^{12}C \to \mu^- ^{12}C \pi^+, with two distinct data samples. No evidence for
coherent pion production is observed. We set 90% confidence level upper limits
on the cross section ratio of charged current coherent pion production to the
total charged current cross section at 0.67\times 10^{-2} at mean neutrino
energy 1.1 GeV and 1.36\times 10^{-2} at mean neutrino energy 2.2 GeV.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, Minor revisions to match version accepted for
publication in Physical Review
Physics at a Fermilab Proton Driver
This report documents the physics case for building a 2 MW, 8 GeV
superconducting linac proton driver at Fermilab.Comment: 52 pages, 15 figure
Neutrino physics at accelerators
Present and future neutrino experiments at accelerators are mainly concerned
with understanding the neutrino oscillation phenomenon and its implications.
Here a brief account of neutrino oscillations is given together with a
description of the supporting data. Some current and planned accelerator
neutrino experiments are also explained.Comment: 23 pages, 24 figures. Talk given at the Corfu Summer Institute on
Elementary Particle Physics 200
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