1,123 research outputs found
Estimation of nasal cavity and conchae volumes by stereological method
Background: Studies evaluating the mean volumes of nasal cavity and concha
are very rare. Since there is little date on the mentioned topic, we aimed to
carry out the presented study to obtain a volumetric index showing the relation
between the nasal cavity and concha.
Material and methods: The volumes of the nasal cavity and concha were
measured in 30 males and 30 females (18–40 years old) on computed tomography
images using stereological methods.
Results: The mean volumes of nasal cavity, concha nasalis media, and concha
nasalis inferior were 5.95 ± 0.10 cm3, 0.56 ± 0.22 cm3, and 1.45 ± 0.68 cm3;
7.01 ± 0.18 cm3, 0.67 ± 0.31 cm3 and 1.59 ± 0.98 cm3 in females and males,
respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the volume of the
nasal cavity and concha nasalis media (p < 0.05) between males and females,
except for concha nasalis inferior (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Our results could provide volumetric indexes for the nasal cavity
and concha, which could help the physician to manage surgical procedures
related to the nasal cavity and concha
High fidelity progressive reinforcement learning for agile maneuvering UAVs
In this work, we present a high fidelity model based progressive reinforcement learning method for control system design for an agile maneuvering UAV. Our work relies on a simulation-based training and testing environment for doing software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and integrated flight testing within photo-realistic virtual reality (VR) environment. Through progressive learning with the high fidelity agent and environment models, the guidance and control policies build agile maneuvering based on fundamental control laws. First, we provide insight on development of high fidelity mathematical models using frequency domain system identification. These models are later used to design reinforcement learning based adaptive flight control laws allowing the vehicle to be controlled over a wide range of operating conditions covering model changes on operating conditions such as payload, voltage and damage to actuators and electronic speed controllers (ESCs). We later design outer flight guidance and control laws. Our current work and progress is summarized in this work
Characterization of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) collection using quantitative and qualitative traits in the Mediterranean Basin
Abstract This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity and relationship among 256 groundnut genotypes of which 132 belong to subspecies (Subsp.) Arachis hypogaea L. and 124 to Subsp. Arachis fastigiata L. The collection was evaluated for eight quantitative and five qualitative traits during three consecutive years under Mediterranean climate conditions. Coefficient of variation (CV) significantly differed among the genotypes for all the studied quantitative traits ranged from 9.10 to 33.98%, while the highest CV was recorded for seed yield. The subspecies, A. hypogaea L. and A. fastigiata L., displayed significant differences for quantitative traits except for numbers of pods per plant and seed yield. Principal component analyses showed that the first three principal components accounted for 68.14% variation for quantitative traits. Major traits that accounted for the variation by the three PCs include days to the first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of pods per plant and shelling percentage. The groundnut collection also offers wide seed coat color diversity which affects the crop marketability. The information on variations in quantitative and qualitative traits identified in the present investigation provided useful genotypes which would be serving parents. These parental genotypes can be used in groundnut breeding programs to develop desirable cultivars in Mediterranean basin and globally
Wall-Resolved Large Eddy Simulations of Transonic Shock-Induced Flow Separation
This paper reports the wall-resolved large eddy simulations of shock-induced boundary layer separation over an axisymmetric bump for a flow Mach number of 0.875 and a chord-based Reynolds number of 2.763 million. The incoming boundary layer has a momentum-thickness Reynolds number of 6600 at one and a half chord lengths upstream of the leading edge. The calculations simulate the experiment by Bachalo and Johnson (AIAA Journal, Vol. 24, No. 3, 1986), except that the tunnel walls are ignored and the simulations are performed assuming free air with as many as 24 billion grid points. The effects of domain span, grid resolution and time step on the predictions are examined. The results are found to show some sensitivity to the studied parameters. Owing to the outer boundary conditions, the predicted surface pressure distribution as well as the flow separation and reattachment locations tend to agree better with the experimental results from the larger (6 6 ft) tunnel than those from the smaller (2 2 ft) tunnel. The predicted Reynolds shear stress profiles in the separated region differ by as much as 31%from the experimental results that were only obtained in the smaller tunnel. The most accurate surface pressure distribution obtained in this study lies within the scatter of the measurements taken in the two facilities
Stories of Hell and Healing: Internet Users’ Construction of Benzodiazepine Distress and Withdrawal
Abstract
Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs used mainly as sedatives, hypnotics, antiepileptics, and muscle relaxants. Consumption is recommended for 2 to 4 weeks only, due to fast onset of dependency and potentially distressing withdrawal symptoms. Few peer-review studies have drawn on the user experiences and language to appreciate firsthand experiences of benzodiazepine withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome. We looked extensively at patient stories of benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery on Internet support sites and YouTube. Our analysis indicated that users employ rich metaphors to portray the psychologically disturbing and protracted nature of their suffering. We identified seven major themes: hell and isolation, anxiety and depression, alienation, physical distress, anger and remorse, waves and windows, and healing and renewal. By posting success stories, ex-users make known that “healing” can be a long, unpredictable process, but distress does lessen, and recovery can happen
Novel insights into host-fungal pathogen interactions derived from live-cell imaging
Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge funding from the Wellcome Trust (080088, 086827, 075470 and 099215) including a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award for Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology 097377 and FP7-2007–2013 grant agreement HEALTH-F2-2010-260338–ALLFUN to NARG.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Sudden cardiac death in childhood RASopathy-associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Validation of the HCM risk-kids model and predictors of events
Background: RASopathies account for nearly 20% of cases of childhood hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Sudden cardiac death (SCD) occurs in patients with RASopathy-associated HCM, but the risk factors for SCD have not been systematically evaluated. Aim: To validate the HCM Risk-Kids SCD risk prediction model in children with RASopathy-associated HCM and investigate potential specific SCD predictors in this population. Methods: Validation of HCM Risk-Kids was performed in a retrospective cohort of 169 patients with a RASopathy-associated HCM from 15 international paediatric cardiology centres. Multiple imputation by chained equations was used for missing values related to the HCM Risk-Kids parameters. Results: Eleven patients (6.5%) experienced a SCD or equivalent event at a median age of 12.5 months (IQR 7.7–28.64). The calculated SCD/equivalent event incidence was 0.78 (95% CI 0.43–1.41) per 100 patient years. Six patients (54.54%) with an event were in the low-risk category according to the HCM Risk-Kids model. Harrell's C index was 0.60, with a sensitivity of 9.09%, specificity of 63.92%, positive predictive value of 1.72%, and negative predictive value of 91%; with a poor distinction between the different risk groups. Unexplained syncope (HR 42.17, 95% CI 10.49–169.56, p < 0.001) and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (HR 5.48, 95% CI 1.58–19.03, p < 0.007) were predictors of SCD on univariate analysis. Conclusion: Unexplained syncope and the presence of NSVT emerge as predictors for SCD in children with RASopathy-associated HCM. The HCM Risk-Kids model may not be appropriate to use in this population, but larger multicentre collaborative studies are required to investigate this further
Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay
channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7
TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector,
and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No
significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper
limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the
standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at
95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE
Measurement of the Z/gamma* + b-jet cross section in pp collisions at 7 TeV
The production of b jets in association with a Z/gamma* boson is studied
using proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy
of 7 TeV and recorded by the CMS detector. The inclusive cross section for
Z/gamma* + b-jet production is measured in a sample corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns. The Z/gamma* + b-jet cross
section with Z/gamma* to ll (where ll = ee or mu mu) for events with the
invariant mass 60 < M(ll) < 120 GeV, at least one b jet at the hadron level
with pT > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 2.1, and a separation between the leptons and
the jets of Delta R > 0.5 is found to be 5.84 +/- 0.08 (stat.) +/- 0.72 (syst.)
+(0.25)/-(0.55) (theory) pb. The kinematic properties of the events are also
studied and found to be in agreement with the predictions made by the MadGraph
event generator with the parton shower and the hadronisation performed by
PYTHIA.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physic
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