531 research outputs found
Case of Frugivory in a Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea) from Northeastern Arkansas
An adult green treefrog (Hyla cinerea) was collected in mid-September 2014 from Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas. Contents included the remains of a beetle and two fruits. The contents were photographed, measured, and identified to the lowest achievable taxonomic level. The beetle was identified as a spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpuncta howardi Barber [Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae]). The fruits were identified as Persicaria sp. (likely P.punctata (Elliot) Small; Polygonaceae) and Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae). Fruits in the stomachs of frogs are rarely reported in the literature, but could represent possible mechanisms for seed dispersal in plants. It is unknown if frogs select to sometimes eat fruits or if fruits are a by-product of animal prey capture or missed predation attempts. In any case, the goal of this report is to raise awareness of a poorly documented phenomenon in an effort to direct attention to this possible method of seed dispersal
Multimodal Emotion Recognition via Convolutional Neural Networks: Comparison of different strategies on two multimodal datasets
The aim of this paper is to investigate emotion recognition using a multimodal approach that exploits convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with multiple input. Multimodal approaches allow different modalities to cooperate in order to achieve generally better performances because different features are extracted from different pieces of information. In this work, the facial frames, the optical flow computed from consecutive facial frames, and the Mel Spectrograms (from the word melody) are extracted from videos and combined together in different ways to understand which modality combination works better. Several experiments are run on the models by first considering one modality at a time so that good accuracy results are found on each modality. Afterward, the models are concatenated to create a final model that allows multiple inputs. For the experiments the datasets used are BAUM-1 ((Bahçeşehir University Multimodal Affective Database - 1) and RAVDESS (Ryerson Audio–Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song), which both collect two distinguished sets of videos based on the different intensity of the expression, that is acted/strong or spontaneous/normal, providing the representations of the following emotional states that will be taken into consideration: angry, disgust, fearful, happy and sad. The performances of the proposed models are shown through accuracy results and some confusion matrices, demonstrating better accuracy than the compared proposals in the literature. The best accuracy achieved on BAUM-1 dataset is about 95%, while on RAVDESS it is about 95.5%
Guidelines for a common port noise impact assessment: the ANCHOR LIFE project
The paper reports the main contents of the guidelines developed in the framework of the project ANCHOR, acronym of Advanced Noise Control strategies in HarbOuR, which is a European Project funded as part of the announcement Life 2017. The guidelines represent an updated version of those elaborated in the NoMEPorts project named 'Good Practice Guide on Port Area Noise Mapping and Management'; the aim is to define a common approach in port noise monitoring and assessment, considering the outcomes of previous EU funded projects and the algorithms defined by the European Directive 2015/996, in order to produce Port Noise Impact Assessments to be included in ports Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The procedures described in the guidelines will guide professionals in organizing and managing geographical data, in characterizing noise sources and defining, for each of them, the correct noise emission power level, in evaluating noise propagation and people exposure to noise and, finally, in selecting the most efficient mitigation action by means of a cost benefit analysis. Moreover, the paper reports the results of a comparison between noise mapping outcomes obtained using the new noise mapping algorithms defined by the 2015/996 Directive and the old 2002/49/EC Annex II ones; especially at long distances from the source the differences between the two methodologies are not negligible
Discrete-row growth of xenon adsorbed on the vicinal Pt(997) surface: Comparison between theory and experiment
Xe exhibits a discrete-row growth mode on the vicinal Pt(997) surface by sequential attachment to the substrate steps. In order to interpret experimental results obtained by grazing incidence helium scattering, potential calculations are performed. A mean-field Hamiltonian within the two-dimensional Ising model is shown to explain the sequential-row growth observed in helium-atom diffraction studies. More specifically, the calculated temperatures for the occurrence of each row depend mainly on the shape of the potential increment due to the steps and countersteps. They are in good agreement with the experimental values associated with maxima in the scattered He intensity versus coverage curves
Energy and environmental aspects of mobile communication systems
The reduction of the energy consumptions of a Telecommunication Power System
represents one of the critical factors of the telecommunication technologies,
both to allow a sizeable saving of economic resources and to realize
"sustainable" development actions. The consumption of about one hundred base
stations for mobile phones were monitored for a total of over one thousand
days, in order to study the energy consumption in relation to the
environmental, electric and logistics parameters of the stations themselves. It
was possible to survey, then, the role of the mobile communication systems in
the general national energy framework and to plot the best areas of
intervention for saving energy and improving the environmental impact, showing
the role played by air conditioning and transmission equipments. Finally, new
transmission algorithms and the use of renewable energy based techniques have
been tested.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Percutaneous CT-guided microwave ablation combined with pedicle screw fixation followed by vertebroplasty (MASFVA): initial experience of a minimally invasive treatment of vertebral metastases with extension to the vertebral pedicle
Background: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of a combined CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) and pedicle screw fixation followed by vertebroplasty (MASFVA) for the treatment and stabilization of painful vertebral metastases with vertebral pedicle involvement. (2) Methods: from January 2013 to January 2017 11 patients with 16 vertebral metastatic lesions (7 men and 5 women; mean age, 65 +/- 11 years) with vertebral metastases underwent CT-guided microwave ablation and screw fixation followed by vertebroplasty (MASFVA). Technical success, complication rate, pain evaluation using a visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and local tumor control were examined. (3) Results: Technical success rate was 100%. No procedure-related major complications occurred. VAS score decreased from 6.8 +/- 0.7 to 0.6 +/- 0.6. ODI score decreased from 3.1 +/- 0.7 to 1.2 +/- 0.4. All patients could walk independently without neurological complication after one week from the procedure. No new bone fractures or local disease recurrence occurred during a median follow-up of 12 months. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that MWA and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation followed by vertebroplasty for the treatment of painful vertebral metastases is a safe and effective procedure for painful vertebral metastases with vertebral pedicle involvement, allowing pain relief and local tumor control
Percutaneous Vertebral Reconstruction (PVR) Technique of Pathological Compression Fractures: An Innovative Combined Treatment of Microwave Ablation, Bilateral Expandable Titanium SpineJack Implants Followed by Vertebroplasty
Background: to retrospectively evaluate safety and efficacy of combined microwave ablation (MWA) and bilateral expandable titanium SpineJack (SJ) implants followed by vertebroplasty (VP) for the treatment of painful thoracolumbar pathological vertebral compression fracture. (2) Methods: from July 2017 to October 2022, twenty-eight patients (13 women and 15 men; mean age 68 ± 11 years) with a history of primary neoplasm and thirty-six painful vertebral metastases with vertebral compression fracture underwent combined MWA and bilateral expandable titanium SpineJack implants with vertebroplasty. We analyzed safety through complications rate, and efficacy through vertebral height restoration and pain decrease, evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and Functional Mobility Scale (FMS), and local tumor control. Contrast-enhanced CT scans were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months and a contrast-enhanced spine MRI at 6 months after the procedure. (3) Results: Technical success rate was 100%. No procedure-related major complications or death occurred. Vertebral height restoration was observed in 22 levels (58%), with a mean anterior height restoration of 2.6 mm ± 0.6 and a mean middle height restoration of 4.4 mm ± 0.6 (p < 0.001). Mean VAS score of pain evaluation on the day before treatment was 6.3 ± 1.5 (range 4–9). At the 6-month evaluation, the median VAS score for pain was 0.4 ± 0.6 (range 0–2) with a mean reduction of 93.65% (6.8 ± 0.7 vs. 0.4 ± 0.6; p < 0.000) compared with baseline evaluation. Contrast-enhanced CT scans were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months and a contrast-enhanced spine MRI was performed at 6 months after the procedure, showing no local recurrence, implant displacement, or new fractures in the treated site. (4) Conclusions: combined microwave ablation and bilateral expandable titanium SpineJack implants with vertebroplasty is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of pathological compressive vertebral fractures. The vertebral stabilization achieved early and persistent pain relief, increasing patient mobility, improving recovery of walking capacity, and providing local tumor control
Human metapneumovirus establishes persistent infection in lung microvascular endothelial cells and primes a th2-skewed immune response
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections. HMPV infection has been hypothesized to alter dendritic cell (DC) immune response; however, many questions regarding HMPV pathogenesis within the infected lung remain unanswered. Here, we show that HMPV productively infects human lung microvascular endothelial cells (L-HMVECs). The release of infectious virus occurs for up to more than 30 days of culture without producing overt cytopathic effects and medium derived from persistently HMPV-infected L-HMVECs (secretome) induced monocyte-derived DCs to prime naĂŻve CD4 T-cells toward a Th2 phenotype. Moreover, we demonstrated that infected secretomes trigger DCs to up-regulate OX40L expression and OX40L neutralization abolished the pro-Th2 effect that is induced by HMPV-secretome. We clarified secretome from HMPV by size exclusion and ultracentrifugation with the aim to characterize the role of viral particles in the observed pro-Th2 effect. In both cases, the percentage of IL-4-producing cells and expression of OX40L returned at basal levels. Finally, we showed that HMPV, per se, could reproduce the ability of secretome to prime pro-Th2 DCs. These results suggest that HMPV, persistently released by L-HMVECs, might take part in the development of a skewed, pro-Th2 lung microenvironment
Defect-induced perturbations of atomic monolayers on solid surfaces
We study long-range morphological changes in atomic monolayers on solid
substrates induced by different types of defects; e.g., by monoatomic steps in
the surface, or by the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM), placed at some
distance above the substrate. Representing the monolayer in terms of a suitably
extended Frenkel-Kontorova-type model, we calculate the defect-induced density
profiles for several possible geometries. In case of an AFM tip, we also
determine the extra force exerted on the tip due to the tip-induced
de-homogenization of the monolayer.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Phylogenetic risk assessment is robust for forecasting the impact of non-native insects on North American trees
- …