Optical coherence tomography:age estimation of <i>Calliphora vicina</i> pupae <i>in vivo</i>?

Necrophagous blowfly pupae are valuable contributors to the estimation of post-mortem interval, should an accurate age estimate be obtained. At present, this is reliant on a combination of rearing and destructive methods conducted on preserved samples, including morphological observation and gene expression analyses. This study demonstrates the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a tool for in vivo morphological observation and pupal age estimation. Using a Michelson OCT microscope, alive and preserved four and ten-day old Calliphora vicina pupae were scanned in different orientations. Two and three-dimensional images were created. Morphological characteristics such as the brain, mouthparts and legs were identifiable in both living and preserved samples, with distinct differences noted between the two ages. Absorption of light by the puparium results in a vertical resolution of 1-2 mm, preventing observation of deeper tissues. The use of contrast agents or a longer wavelength laser would improve the images obtainable. At present, the data suggests OCT provides a primary view of external and internal morphology, which can be used to distinguish younger and older pupae for further analysis of age and PMI estimation

Are gauge symmetry transformations observable?

In a recent paper in the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Kosso discussed the observational status of continuous symmetries of physics. While we are in broad agreement with his approach, we disagree with his analysis. In the discussion of the status of gauge symmetry, a set of examples offered by ’t Hooft has influenced several philosophers, including Kosso; in all cases the interpretation of the examples is mistaken. In this paper we present our preferred approach to the empirical significance of symmetries, re-analysing the cases of gauge symmetry and general covariance

LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID INTAKE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO RED BLOOD CELL AND SERUM LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN WOMEN AT HIGH RISK FOR BREAST CANCER

A higher ratio of omega-6 (n-6) to omega-3 (n-3) long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in breast tissue triglyceride (TG) has been correlated with increased risk of developing breast cancer. Before dietary recommendations can be made regarding n-3 PUFAs in relation to breast cancer risk reduction, a noninvasive biomarker must be identified so that further research can be done in larger populations. This pilot study compared LCPUFA intake to red blood cell (RBC) and plasma LCPUFAs in women at high risk for breast cancer. Women were screened (n=260) at the University of Kansas Medical Center Breast Cancer Prevention Center high-risk breast clinic. Eighty-six were eligible and of these 48 (58%) completed and returned the diet history questionnaire (DHQ). The mean age of the subjects was 47 ± 9.9 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25 ± 4.4. The mean 5-year Gail risk was 2.7 ± 2.2%. Twenty-two (48%) of the subjects were premenopausal and 24 (52%) were postmenopausal. Fifteen (33%) were taking an n-3 PUFA supplement (fish oil or flaxseed). Mean dietary intakes were 9.94 ± 4.9 g n-6/d and 1.26 ± 0.6 g n-3/d, with an n-6:n-3 ratio of approximately 9:1. Total phospholipid (PL) n-6 in RBC and plasma was 27.74 ± 3.44% and 33.92 ± 3.72%, respectively. Total PL n-3 in RBC and plasma was 5.59 ± 1.7% and 4.06 ± 1.19%, respectively. Plasma TG docasahexaenoic acid (DHA) was highly correlated with n-3 intake (r=0.53, p=<0.05). Women at the University of Kansas Medical Center Breast Cancer Prevention Center consume an n-6:n-3 LCPUFA ratio typical of the US population. RBC PL n-3s were significantly correlated to n-3, adding to the validity of both intake and biomarker assessment. Additional analyses will address whether breast tissue TG n-3 or n-6:n-3 ratio reflects a blood biomarker of n-3 or n-3:n-6 ratio

Assessment of multiple choice question exams quality using graphical methods

Exams should be valid, reliable, and discriminative. Multiple informative methods are used for exam analysis. Displaying analysis results numerically, however, may not be easily comprehended. Using graphical analysis tools could be better for the perception of analysis results. Two such methods were employed: standardized x-bar control charts with standard error of measurement as control limits and receiver operator characteristic curves. Exams of two medical classes were analyzed. For each exam, the mean, standard deviation, reliability, and standard error of measurement were calculated. The means were standardized and plotted against the reference lines of the control chart. The means were chosen as cut-off points to calculate sensitivity and specificity. The receiver operator characteristic curve was plotted and area under the curve determined. Standardized control charts allowed clear, simultaneous comparison of multiple exams. Calculating the control limits from the standard error of measurement created acceptable limits of variability in which the standard deviation and reliability were incorporated. The receiver operator characteristic curve graphically showed the discriminative power of the exam. Observations made with the graphical and classical methods were consistent. Using graphical methods to analyse exams could make their interpretation more accessible and the identification of exams that required further investigation easier

Quality Assurance for KidsMatter Primary: a scoping paper

This Scoping Paper reviews and details options for the ongoing quality assurance of KidsMatter PrimaryThis scoping paper was commissioned and funded by beyondblue, the national depression initiative. The Flinders team wishes to thank and acknowledge beyondblue for their ongoing support throughout the development of this report

Finding Neurons in a Haystack: Case Studies with Sparse Probing

Despite rapid adoption and deployment of large language models (LLMs), the internal computations of these models remain opaque and poorly understood. In this work, we seek to understand how high-level human-interpretable features are represented within the internal neuron activations of LLMs. We train $k$-sparse linear classifiers (probes) on these internal activations to predict the presence of features in the input; by varying the value of $k$ we study the sparsity of learned representations and how this varies with model scale. With $k=1$, we localize individual neurons which are highly relevant for a particular feature, and perform a number of case studies to illustrate general properties of LLMs. In particular, we show that early layers make use of sparse combinations of neurons to represent many features in superposition, that middle layers have seemingly dedicated neurons to represent higher-level contextual features, and that increasing scale causes representational sparsity to increase on average, but there are multiple types of scaling dynamics. In all, we probe for over 100 unique features comprising 10 different categories in 7 different models spanning 70 million to 6.9 billion parameters

KidsMatter Early Childhood Evaluation in Services with High Proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

This is the report of an evaluation of the implementation of KidsMatter Early Childhood (KMEC) in early child care services with relatively higher proportions of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children situated within the initial larger sample of 111 long day care services and preschools involved in the KMEC pilot phase during 2010 and 2011.KidsMatter: the Australian Early Childhood Service Mental Health Initiative, is developed in collaboration by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, beyondblue, the Australian Psychological Society, and Early Childhood Australia

Finite element analysis simulations for ultrasonic array NDE inspections

Advances in manufacturing techniques and materials have led to an increase in the demand for reliable and robust inspection techniques to maintain safety critical features. The application of modelling methods to develop and evaluate inspections is becoming an essential tool for the NDE community. Current analytical methods are inadequate for simulation of arbitrary components and heterogeneous materials, such as anisotropic welds or composite structures. Finite element analysis software (FEA), such as PZFlex, can provide the ability to simulate the inspection of these arrangements, providing the ability to economically prototype and evaluate improved NDE methods. FEA is often seen as computationally expensive for ultrasound problems however, advances in computing power have made it a more viable tool. This paper aims to illustrate the capability of appropriate FEA to produce accurate simulations of ultrasonic array inspections – minimizing the requirement for expensive test-piece fabrication. Validation is afforded via corroboration of the FE derived and experimentally generated data sets for a test-block comprising 1D and 2D defects. The modelling approach is extended to consider the more troublesome aspects of heterogeneous materials where defect dimensions can be of the same length scale as the grain structure. The model is used to facilitate the implementation of new ultrasonic array inspection methods for such materials. This is exemplified by considering the simulation of ultrasonic NDE in a weld structure in order to assess new approaches to imaging such structures

Propuesta para enseñar tipos de variables a 7 y 8 nivel en III ciclo

En este documento se definen los conceptos de variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, con sus respectivas clasificaciones y ejemplos. Además, se presentan dos propuestas metodológicas para enseñar el tema en séptimo y octavo nivel, de acuerdo con el programa de transición propuesto por el Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP) de Costa Rica; una mediante trípticos y otra, mediante guías para el docente. Por último, se comentan algunas conclusiones sobre el uso de las metodologías que se propone en el documento