242 research outputs found
Automatic facial analysis for objective assessment of facial paralysis
Facial Paralysis is a condition causing decreased movement on one side of the face. A quantitative, objective and reliable assessment system would be an invaluable tool for clinicians treating patients with this condition. This paper presents an approach based on the automatic analysis of patient video data. Facial feature localization and facial movement detection methods are discussed. An algorithm is presented to process the optical flow data to obtain the motion features in the relevant facial regions. Three classification methods are applied to provide quantitative evaluations of regional facial nerve function and the overall facial nerve function based on the House-Brackmann Scale. Experiments show the Radial Basis Function (RBF) Neural Network to have superior performance
Signature of sexual conflict is actually conflict resolved
There has been substantial interest of late in using population genetic methods to study sexual conflict, where an allele increases the fitness of one sex at some cost to the other (Mank 2017). Population genomic scans for sexual conflict offer an important advance given the difficulties of identifying antagonistic alleles from more traditional methods, and could greatly increase our understanding of the extent and loci of sexual conflict
Integral equation method for the electromagnetic wave propagation in stratified anisotropic dielectric-magnetic materials
We investigate the propagation of electromagnetic waves in stratified
anisotropic dielectric-magnetic materials using the integral equation method
(IEM). Based on the superposition principle, we use Hertz vector formulations
of radiated fields to study the interaction of wave with matter. We derive in a
new way the dispersion relation, Snell's law and reflection/transmission
coefficients by self-consistent analyses. Moreover, we find two new forms of
the generalized extinction theorem. Applying the IEM, we investigate the wave
propagation through a slab and disclose the underlying physics which are
further verified by numerical simulations. The results lead to a unified
framework of the IEM for the propagation of wave incident either from a medium
or vacuum in stratified dielectric-magnetic materials.Comment: 14pages, 3figure
Sex chromosome evolution : so many exceptions to the rules
Genomic analysis of many non-model species has uncovered an incredible diversity of sex chromosome systems, making it possible to empirically test the rich body of evolutionary theory that describes each stage of sex chromosome evolution. Classic theory predicts that sex chromosomes originate from a pair of homologous autosomes and recombination between them is suppressed via inversions to resolve sexual conflict. The resulting degradation of the Y chromosome gene content creates the need for dosage compensation in the heterogametic sex. Sex chromosome theory also implies a linear process, starting from sex chromosome origin and progressing to heteromorphism. Despite many convergent genomic patterns exhibited by independently evolved sex chromosome systems, and many case studies supporting these theoretical predictions, emerging data provide numerous interesting exceptions to these long-standing theories, and suggest that the remarkable diversity of sex chromosomes is matched by a similar diversity in their evolution. For example, it is clear that sex chromosome pairs are not always derived from homologous autosomes. Also, both the cause and mechanism of recombination suppression between sex chromosome pairs remain unclear, and it may be that the spread of recombination suppression is a more gradual process than previously thought. It is also clear that dosage compensation can be achieved in many ways, and displays a range of efficacy in different systems. Finally, the remarkable turnover of sex chromosomes in many systems, as well as variation in the rate of sex chromosome divergence, suggest that assumptions about the inevitable linearity of sex chromosome evolution are not always empirically supported, and the drivers of the birth-death cycle of sex chromosome evolution remain to be elucidated. Here, we concentrate on how the diversity in sex chromosomes across taxa highlights an equal diversity in each stage of sex chromosome evolution
Low Mach number effect in simulation of high Mach number flow
In this note, we relate the two well-known difficulties of Godunov schemes:
the carbuncle phenomena in simulating high Mach number flow, and the inaccurate
pressure profile in simulating low Mach number flow. We introduced two simple
low-Mach-number modifications for the classical Roe flux to decrease the
difference between the acoustic and advection contributions of the numerical
dissipation. While the first modification increases the local numerical
dissipation, the second decreases it. The numerical tests on the double-Mach
reflection problem show that both modifications eliminate the kinked Mach stem
suffered by the original flux. These results suggest that, other than
insufficient numerical dissipation near the shock front, the carbuncle
phenomena is strongly relevant to the non-comparable acoustic and advection
contributions of the numerical dissipation produced by Godunov schemes due to
the low Mach number effect.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur
Dynamic p-enrichment schemes for multicomponent reactive flows
We present a family of p-enrichment schemes. These schemes may be separated
into two basic classes: the first, called \emph{fixed tolerance schemes}, rely
on setting global scalar tolerances on the local regularity of the solution,
and the second, called \emph{dioristic schemes}, rely on time-evolving bounds
on the local variation in the solution. Each class of -enrichment scheme is
further divided into two basic types. The first type (the Type I schemes)
enrich along lines of maximal variation, striving to enhance stable solutions
in "areas of highest interest." The second type (the Type II schemes) enrich
along lines of maximal regularity in order to maximize the stability of the
enrichment process. Each of these schemes are tested over a pair of model
problems arising in coastal hydrology. The first is a contaminant transport
model, which addresses a declinature problem for a contaminant plume with
respect to a bay inlet setting. The second is a multicomponent chemically
reactive flow model of estuary eutrophication arising in the Gulf of Mexico.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, 3 table
Dimer coverings on the Sierpinski gasket with possible vacancies on the outmost vertices
We present the number of dimers on the Sierpinski gasket
at stage with dimension equal to two, three, four or five, where one of
the outmost vertices is not covered when the number of vertices is an
odd number. The entropy of absorption of diatomic molecules per site, defined
as , is calculated to be
exactly for . The numbers of dimers on the generalized
Sierpinski gasket with and are also obtained
exactly. Their entropies are equal to , , ,
respectively. The upper and lower bounds for the entropy are derived in terms
of the results at a certain stage for with . As the
difference between these bounds converges quickly to zero as the calculated
stage increases, the numerical value of with can be
evaluated with more than a hundred significant figures accurate.Comment: 35 pages, 20 figures and 1 tabl
Mechanism for Selective Binding of Aromatic Compounds on Oxygen-Rich Graphene Nanosheets Based on Molecule Size/Polarity Matching
Selective binding of organic compounds is the cornerstone of many important industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Here, we achieved highly selective binding of aromatic compounds in aqueous solution and gas phase by oxygen-enriched graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets via a previously unknown mechanism based on size matching and polarity matching. Oxygen-containing functional groups (predominately epoxies and hydroxyls) on the nongraphitized aliphatic carbons of the basal plane of GO formed highly polar regions that encompass graphitic regions slightly larger than the benzene ring. This facilitated size match–based interactions between small apolar compounds and the isolated aromatic region of GO, resulting in high binding selectivity relative to larger apolar compounds. The interactions between the functional group(s) of polar aromatics and the epoxy/hydroxyl groups around the isolated aromatic region of GO enhanced binding selectivity relative to similar-sized apolar aromatics. These findings provide opportunities for precision separations and molecular recognition enabled by size/polarity match–based selectivity
On the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme for solving the unsteady Nonlinear Coupled Burgers' Equations
The two-dimensional unsteady coupled Burgers' equations with moderate to
severe gradients, are solved numerically using higher-order accurate finite
difference schemes; namely the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme, and
the fourth-order accurate Du Fort Frankel scheme. The question of numerical
stability and convergence are presented. Comparisons are made between the
present schemes in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency for solving
problems with severe internal and boundary gradients. The present study shows
that the fourth-order compact ADI scheme is stable and efficient
Simulation techniques for cosmological simulations
Modern cosmological observations allow us to study in great detail the
evolution and history of the large scale structure hierarchy. The fundamental
problem of accurate constraints on the cosmological parameters, within a given
cosmological model, requires precise modelling of the observed structure. In
this paper we briefly review the current most effective techniques of large
scale structure simulations, emphasising both their advantages and
shortcomings. Starting with basics of the direct N-body simulations appropriate
to modelling cold dark matter evolution, we then discuss the direct-sum
technique GRAPE, particle-mesh (PM) and hybrid methods, combining the PM and
the tree algorithms. Simulations of baryonic matter in the Universe often use
hydrodynamic codes based on both particle methods that discretise mass, and
grid-based methods. We briefly describe Eulerian grid methods, and also some
variants of Lagrangian smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) methods.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Space Science
Reviews, special issue "Clusters of galaxies: beyond the thermal view",
Editor J.S. Kaastra, Chapter 12; work done by an international team at the
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, organised by J.S.
Kaastra, A.M. Bykov, S. Schindler & J.A.M. Bleeke
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