70 research outputs found
Gait Analysis of Horses for Lameness Detection with Radar Sensors
This paper presents the preliminary investigation of the use of
radar signatures to detect and assess lameness of horses and its
severity. Radar sensors in this context can provide attractive
contactless sensing capabilities, as a complementary or
alternative technology to the current techniques for lameness
assessment using video-graphics and inertial sensors attached to the horses' body. The paper presents several examples of experimental data collected at the Weipers Centre Equine
Hospital at the University of Glasgow, showing the micro-
Doppler signatures of horses and preliminary results of their
analysis
Are Proxima and Alpha Centauri Gravitationally Bound?
Using the most recent kinematic and radial velocity data in the literature,
we calculate the binding energy of Proxima Centauri relative to the center of
mass of the Alpha Centauri system. When we adopt the centroids of the observed
data, we find that the three stars constitute a bound system, albeit with a
semi-major axis that is on order the same size as Alpha Centauri AB's Hill
radius in the galactic potential. We carry out a Monte Carlo simulation under
the assumption that the errors in the observed quantities are uncorrelated. In
this simulation, 44% of the trial systems are bound, and systems on the 1-3
sigma tail of the radial velocity distribution can have Proxima currently
located near the apastron position of its orbit. Our analysis shows that a
further, very significant improvement in the characterization of the system can
be gained by obtaining a more accurate measurement of the radial velocity of
Proxima Centauri.Comment: 10 pages total, 4 pages of text, 1 page of references, 3 figures, and
2 tables This article will be published in The Astronomical Journa
Clinical magnetic resonance image quality of the equine foot is significantly influenced by acquisition system
Background:
Investigation of image quality in clinical equine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may optimise diagnostic value.
Objectives:
To assess the influence of field strength and anaesthesia on image quality in MR imaging of the equine foot in a clinical context.
Study design:
Analytical clinical study.
Methods:
Fifteen equine foot studies (five studies per system) were randomly selected from the clinical databases of three MR imaging systems: lowâfield standing (LF St), lowâfield anaesthetised (LF GA) and highâfield anaesthetised (HF GA). Ten experienced observers graded image quality for entire studies and seven clinically important anatomical structures within the foot (briefly, grade 1: textbook quality, grade 2: high diagnostic quality, grade 3: satisfactory diagnostic quality, grade 4: nonâdiagnostic). Statistical analysis assessed the effect of anaesthesia and field strength using a combination of the Pearson chiâsquare test or Fisherâs exact test and MannâWhitney test.
Results:
There was no difference in the proportion of entire studies of diagnostic quality between LF St (90%, 95%CI 78â97%) and LF GA (88%, 76â95%, p = 0.7). No differences were evident in the proportion of diagnostic studies or median image quality gradings between LF St and LF GA when assessing individual anatomical structures (both groups all median grades=3). There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of entire studies of diagnostic quality between LF GA and HF GA (100%, 95% CI lower bound 94%, p = 0.03). There were statistically significant differences in median image quality gradings between LF GA (all median grades=3) and HF GA (median grades=1 (5/7 structures) or 2 (2/7 structures) for all individual anatomical structures (all P<0.001). The reasons reported for reduced image quality differed between systems.
Main limitations:
Randomised selection of cases from clinical databases. Individual observer preferences may influence image quality assessment.
Conclusions:
Field strength is a more important influencer of image quality than anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging of the equine foot in clinical patients
PHASES Differential Astrometry and Iodine Cell Radial Velocities of the kappa Pegasi Triple Star System
kappa Pegasi is a well-known, nearby triple star system. It consists of a
``wide'' pair with semi-major axis 235 milli-arcseconds, one component of which
is a single-line spectroscopic binary (semi-major axis 2.5 milli-arcseconds).
Using high-precision differential astrometry and radial velocity observations,
the masses for all three components are determined and the relative
inclinations between the wide and narrow pairs' orbits is found to be 43.8 +/-
3.0 degrees, just over the threshold for the three body Kozai resonance. The
system distance is determined to 34.60 +/- 0.21 parsec, and is consistent with
trigonometric parallax measurements.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, complete versions of tables 2 and 4
can be found at http://stuff.mit.edu/~matthew1/kapPegTables
The Structure of the Homunculus: I. Shape and Latitude Dependence from H2 and [Fe II] Velocity Maps of Eta Carinae
High resolution long-slit spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on
Gemini South provide our most accurate probe of the three dimensional structure
of the Homunculus around eta Car. The new near-infrared spectra dramatically
confirm the double-shell structure inferred previously from thermal dust
emission, resolving the nebula into a very thin outer shell seen in H2 21218,
and a warmer, thicker inner layer seen in [Fe II] 16435. The thin H2 skin hints
that the most important mass loss during the 19th century eruption had a very
short duration of less than 5 yr. H2 emission traces the majority of the mass
in the nebula, and has an average density of order 10^6.5 cm-3. This emission,
in turn, yields our first definitive picture of the exact shape of the nebula,
plus a distance of 2350pm50 pc and an inclination angle of 41deg (the polar
axis is tilted 49deg from the plane of the sky). The distribution of the H2
emission provides the first measure of the latitude dependence of the speed,
mass loss, and kinetic energy associated with eta Car's 19th century explosion.
Almost 75 percent of the total mass and more than 90 percent of the kinetic
energy in the ejecta were released at high latitudes. This rules out a model
for the bipolar shape wherein an otherwise spherical explosion was pinched at
the waist by a circumstellar torus. Also, the ejecta could not have been
deflected toward polar trajectories by a companion star, since the kinetic
energy of the polar ejecta is greater than the binding energy of the putative
binary system. Instead, most of the mass appears to have been directed poleward
by the explosion itself. [abridged]Comment: 25 pages, figs 2 and 3 in color. Accepted by Ap
Nef divisors on moduli spaces of abelian varieties
SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RN 3109(284) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman
Interobserver agreement during clinical magnetic resonance imaging of the equine foot
Background:
Agreement between experienced observers for assessment of pathology and assessment confidence are poorly documented for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the equine foot.
Objectives:
To report interobserver agreement for pathology assessment and observer confidence for key anatomical structures of the equine foot during MRI.
Study design:
Exploratory clinical study.
Methods:
Ten experienced observers (diploma or associate level) assessed 15 equine foot MRI studies acquired from clinical databases of 3 MRI systems. Observers graded pathology in seven key anatomical structures (Grade 1: no pathology, Grade 2: mild pathology, Grade 3: moderate pathology, Grade 4: severe pathology) and provided a grade for their confidence for each pathology assessment (Grade 1: high confidence, Grade 2: moderate confidence, Grade 3: limited confidence, Grade 4: no confidence). Interobserver agreement for the presence/absence of pathology and agreement for individual grades of pathology were assessed with Fleiss' kappa (k). Overall interobserver agreement for pathology was determined using Fleiss' kappa and Kendall's coefficient of concordance (KCC). The distribution of grading was also visualised with bubble charts.
Results:
Interobserver agreement for the presence/absence of pathology of individual anatomical structures was poor-to-fair, except for the navicular bone which had moderate agreement (kâ=â0.52). Relative agreement for pathology grading (accounting for the ranking of grades) ranged from KCCâ=â0.19 for the distal interphalangeal joint to KCCâ=â0.70 for the navicular bone. Agreement was generally greatest at the extremes of pathology. Observer confidence in pathology assessment was generally moderate to high.
Main limitations:
Distribution of pathology varied between anatomical structures due to random selection of clinical MRI studies. Observers had most experience with low-field MRI.
Conclusions:
Even with experienced observers, there can be notable variation in the perceived severity of foot pathology on MRI for individual cases, which could be important in a clinical context
Author response for "Clinical magnetic resonance image quality of the equine foot is significantly influenced by acquisition system"
Primary chemotherapy in rhabdomyosarcomas and other malignant mesenchymal tumors of the orbit: results of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology MMT 84 Study.
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