103 research outputs found
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3-D shape modeling for hearing aid design
Advances in 3-D scanning and fabrication hardware as well as 3-D geometric design software have transformed a once labor intensive manual manufacturing into an efficient digital process for hearing aid design, resulting in higher quality, reduced cost, and better fitting devices. Future work in this field will continue to focus on increasing automation until the process is fully automatic
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Automatic Detection of Anatomical Features on 3D Ear Impressions for Canonical Representation.
We propose a shape descriptor for 3D ear impressions, dederived from a comprehensive set of anatomical features. Motivated by hearing aid (HA) manufacturing, the selection of the anatomical features is carried out according to their uniqueness and importance in HA design. This leads to a canonical ear signature that is highly distinctive and potentially well suited for classification. First, the anatomical features are characterized into generic topological and geometric features, namely concavities, elbows, ridges, peaks, and bumps on the surface of the ear. Fast and robust algorithms are then developed for their detection. This indirect approach ensures the generality of the algorithms with potential applications in biomedicine, biometrics, and reverse engineering
Thin static charged dust Majumdar-Papapetrou shells with high symmetry in D >= 4
We present a systematical study of static D >= 4 space-times of high symmetry
with the matter source being a thin charged dust hypersurface shell. The shell
manifold is assumed to have the following structure S_(beta) X R^(D-2-beta),
beta (in the interval ) is dimension of a sphere S_(beta). In case
of (beta) = 0, we assume that there are two parallel hyper-plane shells instead
of only one. The space-time has Majumdar-Papapetrou form and it inherits the
symmetries of the shell manifold - it is invariant under both rotations of the
S_(beta) and translations along R^(D-2-beta). We find a general solution to the
Einstein-Maxwell equations with a given shell. Then, we examine some flat
interior solutions with special attention paid to D = 4. A connection to D = 4
non-relativistic theory is pointed out. We also comment on a straightforward
generalisation to the case of Kastor-Traschen space-time, i.e. adding a
non-negative cosmological constant to the charged dust matter source.Comment: Accepted in Int. J. Theor. Phy
A synthesis of the effects of cheatgrass invasion on the US Great Basin carbon storage
Nonânative, invasive Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is pervasive in sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin ecoregion of the western United States, competing with native plants and promoting more frequent fires. As a result, cheatgrass invasion likely alters carbon (C) storage in the region. Many studies have measured C pools in one or more common vegetation types: native sagebrush, invaded sagebrush and cheatgrassâdominated (often burned) sites, but these results have yet to be synthesized. We performed a literature review to identify studies assessing the consequences of invasion on C storage in aboveâground biomass (AGB), belowâground biomass (BGB), litter, organic soil and total soil. We identified 41 articles containing 386 unique studies and estimated C storage across pools and vegetation types. We used linear mixed models to identify the main predictors of C storage. We found consistent declines in biomass C with invasion: AGB C was 55% lower in cheatgrass (40 ± 4 g C/m2) than native sagebrush (89 ± 27 g C/m2) and BGB C was 62% lower in cheatgrass (90 ± 17 g C/m2) than native sagebrush (238 ± 60 g C/m2). In contrast, litter C was \u3e4Ă higher in cheatgrass (154 ± 12 g C/m2) than native sagebrush (32 ± 12 g C/m2). Soil organic C (SOC) in the top 10 cm was significantly higher in cheatgrass than in native or invaded sagebrush. SOC below 20 cm was significantly related to the time since most recent fire and losses were observed in deep SOC in cheatgrass \u3e5 years after a fire. There were no significant changes in total soil C across vegetation types. Synthesis and applications. Cheatgrass invasion decreases biodiversity and rangeland productivity and alters fire regimes. Our findings indicate cheatgrass invasion also results in persistent biomass carbon (C) losses that occur with sagebrush replacement. We estimate that conversion from native sagebrush to cheatgrass leads to a net reduction of C storage in biomass and litter of 76 g C/m2, or 16 Tg C across the Great Basin without management practices like native sagebrush restoration or cheatgrass removal
The Sec1/Munc18 protein Vps45 regulates cellular levels of its SNARE binding partners Tlg2 and Snc2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Intracellular membrane trafficking pathways must be tightly regulated to ensure proper functioning of all eukaryotic cells. Central to membrane trafficking is the formation of specific SNARE (soluble N-ethylmeleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) complexes between proteins on opposing lipid bilayers. The Sec1/Munc18 (SM) family of proteins play an essential role in SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, and like the SNAREs are conserved through evolution from yeast to humans. The SM protein Vps45 is required for the formation of yeast endosomal SNARE complexes and is thus essential for traffic through the endosomal system. Here we report that, in addition to its role in regulating SNARE complex assembly, Vps45 regulates cellular levels of its SNARE binding partners: the syntaxin Tlg2 and the v-SNARE Snc2: Cells lacking Vps45 have reduced cellular levels of Tlg2 and Snc2; and elevation of Vps45 levels results in concomitant increases in the levels of both Tlg2 and Snc2. As well as regulating traffic through the endosomal system, the Snc v-SNAREs are also required for exocytosis. Unlike most vps mutants, cells lacking Vps45 display multiple growth phenotypes. Here we report that these can be reversed by selectively restoring Snc2 levels in vps45 mutant cells. Our data indicate that as well as functioning as part of the machinery that controls SNARE complex assembly, Vps45 also plays a key role in determining the levels of its cognate SNARE proteins; another key factor in regulation of membrane traffic
Measurement of the Currrent Distribution in ASDEX during Lower Hybrid Current Drive using the LI-Beam/Zeeman Effect Technique
Synergistic induction of lipid catabolism and anti-inflammatory lipids in white fat of dietary obese mice in response to calorie restriction and n-3 fatty acids
The Microphenotron: a robotic miniaturized plant phenotyping platform with diverse applications in chemical biology
Background
Chemical genetics provides a powerful alternative to conventional genetics for understanding gene function. However, its application to plants has been limited by the lack of a technology that allows detailed phenotyping of whole-seedling development in the context of a high-throughput chemical screen. We have therefore sought to develop an automated micro-phenotyping platform that would allow both root and shoot development to be monitored under conditions where the phenotypic effects of large numbers of small molecules can be assessed.
Results
The âMicrophenotronâ platform uses 96-well microtitre plates to deliver chemical treatments to seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana L. and is based around four components: (a) the âPhytostripâ, a novel seedling growth device that enables chemical treatments to be combined with the automated capture of images of developing roots and shoots; (b) an illuminated robotic platform that uses a commercially available robotic manipulator to capture images of developing shoots and roots; (c) software to control the sequence of robotic movements and integrate these with the image capture process; (d) purpose-made image analysis software for automated extraction of quantitative phenotypic data. Imaging of each plate (representing 80 separate assays) takes 4 min and can easily be performed daily for time-course studies. As currently configured, the Microphenotron has a capacity of 54 microtitre plates in a growth room footprint of 2.1 mÂČ, giving a potential throughput of up to 4320 chemical treatments in a typical 10 days experiment. The Microphenotron has been validated by using it to screen a collection of 800 natural compounds for qualitative effects on root development and to perform a quantitative analysis of the effects of a range of concentrations of nitrate and ammonium on seedling development.
Conclusions
The Microphenotron is an automated screening platform that for the first time is able to combine large numbers of individual chemical treatments with a detailed analysis of whole-seedling development, and particularly root system development. The Microphenotron should provide a powerful new tool for chemical genetics and for wider chemical biology applications, including the development of natural and synthetic chemical products for improved agricultural sustainability
Comparison of Cortical Epileptic Afterdischarges in Immature Genetic Absence Epilepsy WAG/Rij Rats with Those in Two Other Strains (ACI and Wistar)
Effect of Hypoxia/Ischemia on Bicuculline-Induced Seizures in Immature Rats: Behavioral and Electrocortical Phenomena
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