Developing site-specific guidelines for orchard soils based on bioaccessibility – Can it be done?

Horticultural land within the periurban fringe of NZ towns and cities increasingly is being developed for residential subdivision. Recent surveys have shown that concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and ΣDDT (sum of DDT and its degradation products DDE and DDD) in such soils can exceed criteria protective of human health.¹ Soil ingestion is a key exposure pathway for non-volatile contaminants in soil. Currently in NZ, site-specific risk assessments and the derivation of soil guidelines protective of human health assume that all of the contaminant present in the soil is available for uptake and absorption by the human gastrointestinal tract. This assumption can overestimate health risks and has implications for the remediation of contaminated sites.² In comparison, the bioavailability of contaminants is considered when estimating exposure via dermal absorption and by ingestion of home-grown produce.³ Dermal absorption factors and plant uptake factors are included in the calculations for estimating exposures via these routes

Modeling the Resource Requirements of Convolutional Neural Networks on Mobile Devices

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have revolutionized the research in computer vision, due to their ability to capture complex patterns, resulting in high inference accuracies. However, the increasingly complex nature of these neural networks means that they are particularly suited for server computers with powerful GPUs. We envision that deep learning applications will be eventually and widely deployed on mobile devices, e.g., smartphones, self-driving cars, and drones. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to understand the resource requirements (time, memory) of CNNs on mobile devices. First, by deploying several popular CNNs on mobile CPUs and GPUs, we measure and analyze the performance and resource usage for every layer of the CNNs. Our findings point out the potential ways of optimizing the performance on mobile devices. Second, we model the resource requirements of the different CNN computations. Finally, based on the measurement, pro ling, and modeling, we build and evaluate our modeling tool, Augur, which takes a CNN configuration (descriptor) as the input and estimates the compute time and resource usage of the CNN, to give insights about whether and how e ciently a CNN can be run on a given mobile platform. In doing so Augur tackles several challenges: (i) how to overcome pro ling and measurement overhead; (ii) how to capture the variance in different mobile platforms with different processors, memory, and cache sizes; and (iii) how to account for the variance in the number, type and size of layers of the different CNN configurations

Large-scale Spatiotemporal Spike Patterning Consistent with Wave Propagation in Motor Cortex

Aggregate signals in cortex are known to be spatiotemporally organized as propagating waves across the cortical surface, but it remains unclear whether the same is true for spiking activity in individual neurons. Furthermore, the functional interactions between cortical neurons are well documented but their spatial arrangement on the cortical surface has been largely ignored. Here we use a functional network analysis to demonstrate that a subset of motor cortical neurons in non-human primates spatially coordinate their spiking activity in a manner that closely matches wave propagation measured in the beta oscillatory band of the local field potential. We also demonstrate that sequential spiking of pairs of neuron contains task-relevant information that peaks when the neurons are spatially oriented along the wave axis. We hypothesize that the spatial anisotropy of spike patterning may reflect the underlying organization of motor cortex and may be a general property shared by other cortical areas

Reliability of Repeated Nordic Hamstring Strength in Rugby Players Using a Load Cell Device.

Hamstring strain injuries are one of the most common injuries in Rugby Union players, representing up to 15% of all sustained injuries. The Nordic eccentric hamstring test assesses the maximal hamstring eccentric strength and imbalances between limbs. Asymmetries and deficits in hamstring strength between legs are commonly assessed and used as screening methods to prevent injuries which can only be proven effective if hamstring strength measures are reliable over time. We conducted a repeated-measures reliability study with 25 male Rugby Union players. Nordic eccentric strength and bilateral strength balance was assessed. Three testing sessions were undertaken over three consecutive weeks. Intrasession and intersession reliabilities were assessed using typical errors (TE), coefficient of variations (CV), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Our results showed good intrasession reliability (ICC = 0.79-0.90, TE = 26.8 N to 28.9 N, CV = 5.5% to 6.7%), whilst intersession reliability was fair for mean and the max (ICC = 0.52-0.64, TE = 44.1 N to 55.9 N, CV from 7.4% to 12.5%). Regarding the bilateral strength balance ratios, our results showed good intrasession reliability (ICC = 0.62-0.89, TE = 0.5, CV = 4.4% to 7.2%), whilst the intersession reliability for mean and max values was fair (ICC = 0.52-0.54) with a good absolute intersession reliability CV ranging from 8.2% to 9.6%. Assessing the Nordic eccentric hamstring strength and the bilateral strength balance in Rugby players using a load cell device is a feasible method to test, and demonstrated good intrasession and fair intersession reliability. Nordic eccentric strength assessment is a more practical and functional test than isokinetic; we provide data from Rugby Union players to inform clinicians, and to establish normative values in this cohort

From aptamer-based biomarker discovery to diagnostic and clinical applications: an aptamer-based, streamlined multiplex proteomic assay

Recently, we reported an aptamer-based, highly multiplexed assay for the purpose of biomarker identification. To enable seamless transition from highly multiplexed biomarker discovery assays to a format suitable and convenient for diagnostic and life-science applications, we developed a streamlined, plate-based version of the assay. The plate-based version of the assay is robust, sensitive (sub-picomolar), rapid, can be highly multiplexed (upwards of 60 analytes), and fully automated. We demonstrate that quantification by microarray-based hybridization, Luminex bead-based methods, and qPCR are each compatible with our platform, further expanding the breadth of proteomic applications for a wide user community

High thermoelectric performance in (Bi_(0.25)Sb_(0.75)_2 Te_3 due to band convergence and improved by carrier concentration control

Bi_2Te_3 has been recognized as an important cooling material for thermoelectric applications. Yet its thermoelectric performance could still be improved. Here we propose a band engineering strategy by optimizing the converging valence bands of Bi_2Te_3 and Sb_2Te_3 in the (Bi_(1−x)Sb_x)_2Te_3 system when x = 0.75. Band convergence successfully explains the sharp increase in density-of-states effective mass yet relatively constant mobility and optical band gap measurement. This band convergence picture guides the carrier concentration tuning for optimum thermoelectric performance. To synthesize homogeneous textured and optimally doped (Bi0.25Sb0.75)2Te3, excess Te was chosen as the dopant. Uniform control of the optimized thermoelectric composition was achieved by zone-melting which utilizes separate solidus and liquidus compositions to obtain zT = 1.05 (at 300 K) without nanostructuring