4,214 research outputs found
Experimental pig-to-pig transmission dynamics for African swine fever virus, Georgia 2007/1 strain
African swine fever virus (ASFV) continues to cause outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar in Eastern European countries. To gain insights into its transmission dynamics, we estimated the pig-to-pig basic reproduction number (R 0) for the Georgia 2007/1 ASFV strain using a stochastic susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model with parameters estimated from transmission experiments. Models showed that R 0 is 2·8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·3–4·8] within a pen and 1·4 (95% CI 0·6–2·4) between pens. The results furthermore suggest that ASFV genome detection in oronasal samples is an effective diagnostic tool for early detection of infection. This study provides quantitative information on transmission parameters for ASFV in domestic pigs, which are required to more effectively assess the potential impact of strategies for the control of between-farm epidemic spread in European countries.ISSN:0950-2688ISSN:1469-440
Exact Histogram Specification Optimized for Structural Similarity
An exact histogram specification (EHS) method modifies its input image to
have a specified histogram. Applications of EHS include image (contrast)
enhancement (e.g., by histogram equalization) and histogram watermarking.
Performing EHS on an image, however, reduces its visual quality. Starting from
the output of a generic EHS method, we maximize the structural similarity index
(SSIM) between the original image (before EHS) and the result of EHS
iteratively. Essential in this process is the computationally simple and
accurate formula we derive for SSIM gradient. As it is based on gradient
ascent, the proposed EHS always converges. Experimental results confirm that
while obtaining the histogram exactly as specified, the proposed method
invariably outperforms the existing methods in terms of visual quality of the
result. The computational complexity of the proposed method is shown to be of
the same order as that of the existing methods.
Index terms: histogram modification, histogram equalization, optimization for
perceptual visual quality, structural similarity gradient ascent, histogram
watermarking, contrast enhancement
A broad look at charcoal rot in the Northern Region broadacre crops through soil sampling and in-crop surveys
Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. is a generalist
soil-born pathogen, which is endemic to Australia. The
pathogen has a broad host-range of both monocot and
dicot plant species which include numerous weed and
crop plant species (1, 2). The disease is most commonly
identified with summer crops, e.g. soybean, sorghum,
sunflower, maize and mungbean (3) and occurs most
often when hot, dry conditions occur during the growing
season. Current estimates predict that north-eastern
Australia will become hotter and dryer as a result of
climate change (4, 5). Thus, it is likely that conditions
favouring the development of this disease will become
more common in the future. However, to date, no work
has been done to determine the extent of the
pathogen’s presence in Australian soils, in-paddock
spatial variability, or the occurrence of the disease as
correlated with pathogen presence and population
levels. In this paper, we present findings from soil
sampling and end-of-season disease assessments in
sorghum paddocks across northern New South Wales
(NNSW), south eastern Queensland (SEQ) and central
Queensland (CQ) during the 2016/17 and 2017/18
summer cropping seasons
CONSTRUCTAL DESIGN AND SIMULATED ANNEALING EMPLOYED FOR GEOMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF A Y-SHAPED CAVITY INTRUDED INTO CONDUCTIVE WALL
he problem study here is concerned with the geometrical evaluation of an isothermal Y-shaped cavity intruded into conducting solid wall with internal heat generation. The cavity acts as a sink of the heat generated into the solid. The main purpose here is to minimize the maximal excess of temperature (θmax) in the solid. Constructal Design, which is based on the objective and constraints principle, is employed to evaluate the geometries of Y-shaped cavity. Meanwhile, Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm is employed as optimization method to seek for the best shapes. To validate the SA methodology, the results obtained with SA are compared with those achieved with Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Exaustive Search (ES) in recent studies of literature. The comparison between the optimization methods (SA, GA and ES) showed that Simulated Annealing is highly effective in the search for the optimal shapes of the studied case
Cryogenic detectors for particle physics
École thématiqu
A dietary intervention for chronic diabetic neuropathy pain: a randomized controlled pilot study
Background:
Diabetic neuropathy is a common and often debilitating condition for which available treatments are limited. Because a low-fat plant-based diet has been shown to improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes, we hypothesized that such a diet would reduce painful symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. Methods:
In this 20-week pilot study, individuals with type 2 diabetes and painful diabetic neuropathy were randomly assigned to two groups. The intervention group was asked to follow a low-fat, plant-based diet, with weekly classes for support in following the prescribed diet, and to take a vitamin B12 supplement. The control group was asked to take the same vitamin B12 supplement, but received no other intervention. At baseline, midpoint and 20 weeks, clinical, laboratory and questionnaire data were collected. Questionnaires included an analog ‘worst pain’ scale, Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, global impression scale, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Neuropathy Total Symptom Score, a weekly pain diary and Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results:
After 20 weeks, body weight change with the intervention was −6.4 kg (95% confidence interval (CI) −9.4 to −3.4, PP=0.03) with the intervention in an effect size analysis. The between-group difference in change in pain, as measured by the McGill pain questionnaire, was −8.2 points (95% CI −16.1 to −0.3, P=0.04). Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument questionnaire score change was −1.6 points (95% CI −3.0 to −0.2, P=0.03). Conclusions:
Improvements were seen in some clinical and pain measures. This pilot study suggests the potential value of a plant-based diet intervention, including weekly support classes, for treating painful diabetic neuropathy
Chaplygin gas with non-adiabatic pressure perturbations
Perturbations in a Chaplygin gas, characterized by an equation of state , may acquire non-adiabatic contributions if spatial variations of the
parameter are admitted. This feature is shown to be related to a specific
internal structure of the Chaplygin gas. We investigate how perturbations of
this type modify the adiabatic sound speed and influence the time dependence of
the gravitational potential which gives rise to the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe
effect in the anisotropy spectrum of the cosmic microwave background.Comment: 16 pages, comments and references added, accepted for publication in
Class.Quantum Gra
Antioxidant activity of pineal methoxyindoles on hepatocyte plasmatic membrane
Antioxidant effect of several pineal derived molecules has been well documented. Here, the protective effects of 5-methoxytryptophol (5-MTOH) and 5-methoxyindol-3-acetic acid (5-MIAA) on hepatic cell membrane lipid peroxidation and cell membrane rigidity induced by FeCl3 plus ascorbic acid have been systemically investigated. The membrane fluidity was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxyalkenals (4-HDA) concentrations and carbonyl groups of protein were measured as the parameters of lipid and protein damage, respectively. Results showed that oxidative stress increased membrane rigidity, MDA and 4-HDA concentra-tions as well as carbonyl content in a concentration-dependent manner. 5-MTOH, but not 5-MIAA, significantly attenuated these oxidative indecies. In absence of oxidative stress, none of these methoxyindoleamines modified the content of MDA, 4-HDA or carbonyl-ation. However 5-MIAA at its highest concentration slightly modified membrane fluidity. The results suggest that structural modification of C3 in the methoxyindoleamine, that is, the carboxyl group replaced by hydroxyl group in this site could improve the ability of 5-methoxyindoleamine derivatives to preserve membrane fluidity of cells which are under oxidative stress
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