Accurate Estimates (accurate + estimate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Life Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Soil structure and pedotransfer functions

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2003
Y.A. Pachepsky
Summary Accurate estimates of soil hydraulic properties from other soil characteristics using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are in demand in many applications, and soil structural characteristics are natural candidates for improving PTFs. Soil survey provides mostly categorical data about soil structure. Many available characteristics such as bulk density, aggregate distribution, and penetration resistance reflect not only structural but also other soil properties. Our objective here is to provoke a discussion of the value of structural information in modelling water transport in soils. Two case studies are presented. Data from the US National Pedon Characterization database are used to estimate soil water retention from categorical field-determined structural and textural classes. Regression-tree estimates have the same accuracy as those from textural class as determined in the laboratory. Grade of structure appears to be a strong predictor of water retention at ,33 kPa and ,1500 kPa. Data from the UNSODA database are used to compare field and laboratory soil water retention. The field-measured retention is significantly less than that measured in the laboratory for soils with a sand content of less than 50%. This could be explained by Rieu and Sposito's theory of scaling in soil structure. Our results suggest a close relationship between structure observed at the soil horizon scale and structure at finer scales affecting water retention of soil clods. Finally we indicate research needs, including (i) quantitative characterization of the field soil structure, (ii) an across-scale modelling of soil structure to use fine-scale data for coarse-scale PTFs, (iii) the need to understand the effects of soil structure on the performance of various methods available to measure soil hydraulic properties, and (iv) further studies of ways to use soil,landscape relationships to estimate variations of soil hydraulic properties across large areas of land. [source]


Cultured mammary epithelial monolayers (BME-UV) express functional organic anion and cation transporters

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2009
M. M. AL-BATAINEH
There is ongoing concern about the potential adverse effects of xenobiotic residues in cows' milk to the human consumer. Although drugs that are intentionally administered to lactating dairy cattle are rigorously regulated to prevent harmful residues, there are numerous other potential sources of exposure that are not as easily controlled. For example, cattle may be exposed to mycotoxins, pesticides and/or persistent organic pollutants through feed, water and inhalation of polluted air. Accurate estimates of the rate and extent of excretion of these compounds into milk is important to assess the risk of exposure through cows' milk. In the present study, the expression of carrier mediated transport processes in cultured monolayers of an immortalized bovine mammary epithelial cell line (BME-UV) was determined using a flow-through diffusion cell system, selective substrates and inhibitors of organic cation transporters (OCT) and organic anion transporters (OAT). The basal-to-apical (BL-to-Ap) flux of tetraethylammonium and estrone sulfate significantly exceeded their flux in the opposite direction. The addition of selective inhibitors to the donor compartment significantly decreased the BL-to-Ap flux of either selective substrate. These results suggest that both OCT and OAT are functionally expressed by BME-UV cells. [source]


REDUCTIONS IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING DIVES AND ESTIMATED SUBMERGENCE LIMITATIONS OF STELLER SEA LIONS (EUMETOPIAS JUBATUS)

MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2007
Gordon D. Hastie
Abstract Accurate estimates of diving metabolic rate are central to assessing the energy needs of marine mammals. To circumvent some of the limitations inherent with conducting energy studies in both the wild and captivity, we measured diving oxygen consumption of two trained Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the open ocean. The animals dived to predetermined depths (5,30 m) for controlled periods of time (50,200 s). Rates of oxygen consumption were measured using open-circuit respirometry before and after each dive. Mean resting rates of oxygen consumption prior to the dives were 1.34 (±0.18) and 1.95 (±0.19) liter/min for individual sea lions. Mean rates of oxygen consumption during the dives were 0.71 (±0.24) and 1.10 (±0.39) liter/min, respectively. Overall, rates of oxygen consumption during dives were significantly lower (45% and 41%) than the corresponding rates measured before dives. These results provide the first estimates of diving oxygen consumption rate for Steller sea lions and show that this species can exhibit a marked decrease in oxygen consumption relative to surface rates while submerged. This has important consequences in the evaluation of physiological limitations associated with diving such as dive duration and subsequent interpretations of diving behavior in the wild. [source]


How many species of cichlid fishes are there in African lakes?

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
George F. Turner
Abstract The endemic cichlid fishes of Lakes Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria are textbook examples of explosive speciation and adaptive radiation, and their study promises to yield important insights into these processes. Accurate estimates of species richness of lineages in these lakes, and elsewhere, will be a necessary prerequisite for a thorough comparative analysis of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing rates of diversification. This review presents recent findings on the discoveries of new species and species flocks and critically appraises the relevant evidence on species richness from recent studies of polymorphism and assortative mating, generally using behavioural and molecular methods. Within the haplochromines, the most species-rich lineage, there are few reported cases of postzygotic isolation, and these are generally among allopatric taxa that are likely to have diverged a relatively long time in the past. However, many taxa, including many which occur sympatrically and do not interbreed in nature, produce viable, fertile hybrids. Prezygotic barriers are more important, and persist in laboratory conditions in which environmental factors have been controlled, indicating the primary importance of direct mate preferences. Studies to date indicate that estimates of alpha (within-site) diversity appear to be robust. Although within-species colour polymorphisms are common, these have been taken into account in previous estimates of species richness. However, overall estimates of species richness in Lakes Malawi and Victoria are heavily dependent on the assignation of species status to allopatric populations differing in male colour. Appropriate methods for testing the specific status of allopatric cichlid taxa are reviewed and preliminary results presented. [source]


The incidence of immune thrombocytopenic purpura in children and adults: A critical review of published reports,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Deirdra R. Terrell
Reports of the incidence of ITP are few and their methodology is variable. Accurate estimates of the incidence of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are important to understand the medical and public health impact of the disease. To critically review all published reports on the incidence of ITP in children and adults, all articles identified on the Medline database (searched January 1, 1966-August 7, 2009) that reported data on the incidence of ITP were retrieved. Articles which directly estimated the incidence of ITP were selected for review. Eight articles reported the incidence of acute ITP in children. After review, four were determined to have the strongest estimates, based on the method of patient identification and study design. The lowest incidence estimate in these four studies was 2.2 per 105 children/year (95% confidence interval 1.9, 2.4) and the highest incidence estimate was 5.3 per 105 children/year (95% confidence interval 4.3, 6.4). Three studies reported the incidence of ITP in adults. The estimate from the article with the strongest methodology reported an incidence estimate of 3.3 per 105 adults/year. The current strongest estimate of the incidence of acute ITP in children is between 1.9 and 6.4 per 105 children/year; for adults the current strongest estimate of the incidence of ITP is 3.3 per 105 adults/year. An important limitation of these studies is that they are primarily from Europe and may not be generalizable to all regions. Am. J. Hematol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


ORIGINAL ARTICLES: Definitions/Epidemiology/Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 4pt2 2010
Ronald W. Lewis MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Accurate estimates of prevalence/incidence are important in understanding the true burden of male and female sexual dysfunction and in identifying risk factors for prevention efforts. This is the summary of the report by the International Consultation Committee for Sexual Medicine on Definitions/Epidemiology/Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction. Aim., The main aim of this article is to provide a general overview of the definitions of sexual dysfunction for men and women, the incidence and prevalence rates, and a description of the risk factors identified in large population-based studies. Methods., Literature regarding definitions, descriptive and analytical epidemiology of sexual dysfunction in men and women were selected using evidence-based criteria. For descriptive epidemiological studies, a Prins score of 10 or higher was utilized to identify population-based studies with adequately stringent criteria. This report represents the opinions of eight experts from five countries developed in a consensus process and encompassing a detailed literature review over a 2-year period. Main Outcome Measures., The study aims to provide state-of-the-art prevalence and incidence rates reported for each dysfunction and stratified by age and gender. Expert opinion was based on the grading of evidence-based medical literature, widespread internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate. Results., A wealth of information is presented on erectile dysfunction, its development through time, and its correlates. The field is still in need of more epidemiological studies on the other men's sexual dysfunction and on all women's sexual dysfunctions. Conclusions., A review of the currently available evidence from epidemiological studies is provided. Lewis RW, Fugl-Meyer KS, Corona G, Hayes RD, Laumann EO, Moreira ED Jr., Rellini AH, and Segraves T. Definitions/Epidemiology/Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction. J Sex Med 2010;7:1598,1607. [source]


Original article: The prevalence of Barrett's esophagus in the US: estimates from a simulation model confirmed by SEER data

DISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 6 2010
T. J. Hayeck
SUMMARY Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the precursor and the biggest risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the solid cancer with the fastest rising incidence in the US and western world. Current strategies to decrease morbidity and mortality from EAC have focused on identifying and surveying patients with BE using upper endoscopy. An accurate estimate of the number of patients with BE in the population is important to inform public health policy and to prioritize resources for potential screening and management programs. However, the true prevalence of BE is difficult to ascertain because the condition frequently is symptomatically silent, and the numerous clinical studies that have analyzed BE prevalence have produced a wide range of estimates. The aim of this study was to use a computer simulation disease model of EAC to determine the estimates for BE prevalence that best align with US Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data. A previously developed mathematical model of EAC was modified to perform this analysis. The model consists of six health states: normal, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), BE, undetected cancer, detected cancer, and death. Published literature regarding the transition rates between these states were used to provide boundaries. During the one million computer simulations that were performed, these transition rates were systematically varied, producing differing prevalences for the numerous health states. Two filters were sequentially applied to select out superior simulations that were most consistent with clinical data. First, among these million simulations, the 1000 that best reproduced SEER cancer incidence data were selected. Next, of those 1000 best simulations, the 100 with an overall calculated BE to Detected Cancer rates closest to published estimates were selected. Finally, the prevalence of BE in the final set of best 100 simulations was analyzed. We present histogram data depicting BE prevalences for all one million simulations, the 1000 simulations that best approximate SEER data, and the final set of 100 simulations. Using the best 100 simulations, we estimate the prevalence of BE to be 5.6% (5.49,5.70%). Using our model, an estimated prevalence for BE in the general population of 5.6% (5.49,5.70%) accurately predicts incidence rates for EAC reported to the US SEER cancer registry. Future clinical studies are needed to confirm our estimate. [source]


Feedforward neural network-based transient stability analysis of electric power systems

EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 6 2006
H. Hadj Abdallah
Abstract This paper presents a neural approach for the transient stability analysis of electric power systems (EPS). The transient stability of an EPS expresses the ability of the system to preserve synchronism after sudden severe disturbances. Its analysis needs the computation of the critical clearing time (CCT), which determines the security degree of the system. The classical methods for the determination of the CCT are computation time consuming and may be not treatable in real time. A feedforward neural network trained off-line using an historical database can approximate the simulation studies to give in real time an accurate estimate of the CCT. The identified neural network can be updated using new significant data to learn more disturbance cases. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the proposed method. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


ESTIMATING A GEOGRAPHICALLY EXPLICIT MODEL OF POPULATION DIVERGENCE

EVOLUTION, Issue 3 2007
L. Lacey Knowles
Patterns of genetic variation can provide valuable insights for deciphering the relative roles of different evolutionary processes in species differentiation. However, population-genetic models for studying divergence in geographically structured species are generally lacking. Since these are the biogeographic settings where genetic drift is expected to predominate, not only are population-genetic tests of hypotheses in geographically structured species constrained, but generalizations about the evolutionary processes that promote species divergence may also be potentially biased. Here we estimate a population-divergence model in montane grasshoppers from the sky islands of the Rocky Mountains. Because this region was directly impacted by Pleistocene glaciation, both the displacement into glacial refugia and recolonization of montane habitats may contribute to differentiation. Building on the tradition of using information from the genealogical relationships of alleles to infer the geography of divergence, here the additional consideration of the process of gene-lineage sorting is used to obtain a quantitative estimate of population relationships and historical associations (i.e., a population tree) from the gene trees of five anonymous nuclear loci and one mitochondrial locus in the broadly distributed species Melanoplus oregonensis. Three different approaches are used to estimate a model of population divergence; this comparison allows us to evaluate specific methodological assumptions that influence the estimated history of divergence. A model of population divergence was identified that significantly fits the data better compared to the other approaches, based on per-site likelihood scores of the multiple loci, and that provides clues about how divergence proceeded in M. oregonensis during the dynamic Pleistocene. Unlike the approaches that either considered only the most recent coalescence (i.e., information from a single individual per population) or did not consider the pattern of coalescence in the gene genealogies, the population-divergence model that best fits the data was estimated by considering the pattern of gene lineage coalescence across multiple individuals, as well as loci. These results indicate that sampling of multiple individuals per population is critical to obtaining an accurate estimate of the history of divergence so that the signal of common ancestry can be separated from the confounding influence of gene flow,even though estimates suggest that gene flow is not a predominant factor structuring patterns of genetic variation across these sky island populations. They also suggest that the gene genealogies contain information about population relationships, despite the lack of complete sorting of gene lineages. What emerges from the analyses is a model of population divergence that incorporates both contemporary distributions and historical associations, and shows a latitudinal and regional structuring of populations reminiscent of population displacements into multiple glacial refugia. Because the population-divergence model itself is built upon the specific events shaping the history of M. oregonensis, it provides a framework for estimating additional population-genetic parameters relevant to understanding the processes governing differentiation in geographically structured species and avoids the problems of relying on overly simplified and inaccurate divergence models. The utility of these approaches, as well as the caveats and future improvements, for estimating population relationships and historical associations relevant to genetic analyses of geographically structured species are discussed. [source]


Analysis of a Distribution of Point Events Using the Network-Based Quadrat Method

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2008
Shino Shiode
This study proposes a new quadrat method that can be applied to the study of point distributions in a network space. While the conventional planar quadrat method remains one of the most fundamental spatial analytical methods on a two-dimensional plane, its quadrats are usually identified by regular, square grids. However, assuming that they are observed along a network, points in a single quadrat are not necessarily close to each other in terms of their network distance. Using planar quadrats in such cases may distort the representation of the distribution pattern of points on a network. The network-based units used in this article, on the other hand, consist of subsets of the actual network, providing more accurate aggregation of the data points along the network. The performance of the network-based quadrat method is compared with that of the conventional quadrat method through a case study on a point distribution on a network. The ,2 statistic and Moran's I statistic of the two quadrat types indicate that (1) the conventional planar quadrat method tends to overestimate the overall degree of dispersion and (2) the network-based quadrat method derives a more accurate estimate on the local similarity. The article also performs sensitivity analysis on network and planar quadrats across different scales and with different spatial arrangements, in which the abovementioned statistical tendencies are also confirmed. [source]


An accurate gradient and Hessian reconstruction method for cell-centered finite volume discretizations on general unstructured grids

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 9 2010
Lee J. Betchen
Abstract In this paper, a novel reconstruction of the gradient and Hessian tensors on an arbitrary unstructured grid, developed for implementation in a cell-centered finite volume framework, is presented. The reconstruction, based on the application of Gauss' theorem, provides a fully second-order accurate estimate of the gradient, along with a first-order estimate of the Hessian tensor. The reconstruction is implemented through the construction of coefficient matrices for the gradient components and independent components of the Hessian tensor, resulting in a linear system for the gradient and Hessian fields, which may be solved to an arbitrary precision by employing one of the many methods available for the efficient inversion of large sparse matrices. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency of the reconstruction by comparison with other common methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Computational predictability of time-dependent natural convection flows in enclosures (including a benchmark solution)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 8 2002
Mark A. Christon
Abstract This paper summarizes the results from a special session dedicated to understanding the fluid dynamics of the 8:1 thermally driven cavity which was held at the First MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Dynamics in June, 2001. The primary objectives for the special session were to: (1) determine the most accurate estimate of the critical Rayleigh number above which the flow is unsteady, (2) identify the correct, i.e. best time-dependent benchmark solution for the 8: 1 differentially heated cavity at particular values of the Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers, and (3) identify those methods that can reliably provide these results. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Accurate and time efficient estimation of the probability of error in bursty channels,

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 7 2003
M. Stevan Berber
Abstract A method and a technique for the probability of error estimation in digital channels with memory are developed and demonstrated. The expressions for the mean and variance of a random variable, representing a block of bits transmission in a bursty channel (channel with memory), are derived. The influence of the memory is expressed by a parameter called the memory factor. It is shown that the traditional Monte Carlo method can be applied for the probability of error estimation. In order to control the accuracy and increase the time efficiency of estimation this method is modified and a new method, called the modified Monte Carlo method, is proposed. Based on this modified method a technique of estimation with controlled accuracy is developed and demonstrated using data obtained by simulation. According to this technique the sample size is adjusted in the course of estimating procedure to give an accurate estimate of the probability of error for a minimum required time of estimation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Application of activity-based costing (ABC) for a Peruvian NGO healthcare provider

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001
Dr. Hugh Waters
Abstract This article describes the application of activity-based costing (ABC) to calculate the unit costs of the services for a health care provider in Peru. While traditional costing allocates overhead and indirect costs in proportion to production volume or to direct costs, ABC assigns costs through activities within an organization. ABC uses personnel interviews to determine principal activities and the distribution of individual's time among these activities. Indirect costs are linked to services through time allocation and other tracing methods, and the result is a more accurate estimate of unit costs. The study concludes that applying ABC in a developing country setting is feasible, yielding results that are directly applicable to pricing and management. ABC determines costs for individual clinics, departments and services according to the activities that originate these costs, showing where an organization spends its money. With this information, it is possible to identify services that are generating extra revenue and those operating at a loss, and to calculate cross subsidies across services. ABC also highlights areas in the health care process where efficiency improvements are possible. Conclusions about the ultimate impact of the methodology are not drawn here, since the study was not repeated and changes in utilization patterns and the addition of new clinics affected applicability of the results. A potential constraint to implementing ABC is the availability and organization of cost information. Applying ABC efficiently requires information to be readily available, by cost category and department, since the greatest benefits of ABC come from frequent, systematic application of the methodology in order to monitor efficiency and provide feedback for management. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential applications of ABC in the health sector in developing countries. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


On the accuracy of estimating living stature from skeletal length in the grave and by linear regression

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
H. C. Petersen
Abstract This study evaluates a method for obtaining stature estimates for populations represented by skeletal material, with individuals buried in a supine position. During the excavation of a Danish mediaeval cemetery, in situ skeletal length in the grave was measured from a point above the cranial point farthest from the body to the most distal point of the talus. The measurement was made with a folding rule placed on the sagittal midline of the skeleton, allowed to follow any curvature of the skeleton in situ. In the laboratory, stature was reconstructed anatomically, and this stature was regarded as an accurate estimate of living stature. Stature was also reconstructed from femur length by two linear regression procedures: 1) by sample and sex specific formulae, employing a leave-one-out approach, and 2) by sex wise formulae for Euro-Americans from Trotter & Gleser (1952, American Journal of Physical Anthropology10: 463,514). Skeletal length in the grave and the two stature estimates based on linear regression were compared to anatomically reconstructed stature. Skeletal length in the grave estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with practically no bias (95% CI: ,1.3,1.5,cm). Sample specific regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature also with no bias (95% CI: ,1.2,1.1,cm). In contrast, statures calculated from Trotter & Gleser's regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with a bias of about 4,cm (95% CI: 3.3,5.0,cm). Estimates of stature variance were biased for all three estimation procedures. However, for samples of adults, an adjusted variance estimate can be obtained by subtracting 8.7,cm2 from the variance obtained from skeletal lengths in the grave. It is recommended to measure skeletal length in the grave whenever possible, and use this measurement for estimating statures for prehistoric and early historic populations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Ab initio investigation of the solvent and electron correlation effects on the geometries and first hyperpolarizabilities of push,pull oligomers

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2007
Eric A. Perpète
Abstract Using the HF and MP2 approaches, we have determined the ground-state geometry and first hyperpolarizability of increasingly long push,pull polyacetylene oligomers. The bulk solvent effects have been assessed at both levels of theory through the Polarizable Continuum Model. For the first hyperpolarizability, the resulting 16 combination of theoretical levels of computation have been compared to evaluate the importance of individual corrections, as well as their additive/ multiplicative character. It turns out that the inclusion of bulk solvent effects is essential for an accurate estimate of the nonlinear optics properties of these push,pull derivatives. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007 [source]


Effective size of populations with unequal sex ratio and variation in mating success

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 5 2002
T. Nomura
Summary To estimate the effective size (Ne) of populations with unequal sex ratio, a well-known formula, Ne=4NmNf/(Nm + Nf), has been frequently used, where Nm and Nf are the numbers of male and female parents, respectively. In this paper, the formula was examined under typical mating systems in animals. It was shown that the formula holds only when there are no variations in the numbers of mates (mating success) of parents of each sex. More appropriate equations were developed by accounting for the variation in mating success. It was found that for animal populations with harem mating system, an equation Ne=4NmNf/(2Nm+Nf) gives a more accurate estimate than the well-known formula. The effective population sizes of several wild, experimental and domestic animals are estimated by applying the derived equations to the published demographic and ecological data. Zusammenfassung Effektive Größe von Populationen mit ungleichem Geschlechterverhältnis und Variation im Anpaarungserfolg Zur Schätzung der effektiven Populationsgröße (Ne) mit ungleichem Geschlechterverhältnis, wurde häufig die allgemein bekannte Formel Ne=4NmNf/(Nm + Nf) verwendet, wobei Nm und Nf die Anzahl männlicher und weiblicher Eltern bezeichnen. In diesem Artikel wurde diese Formel unter verschiedenen Anpaarungssystemen überprüft. Es wurde gezeigt, daß die Formel nur zutrifft, wenn die Anzahl der angepaarten Tiere (Anpaarungserfolg) in jedem Geschlecht nicht variieren. Es wurden genauere Gleichungen entwickelt, die den Anpaarungserfolg mitberücksichtigen. Für Tierpopulationen mit Harempaarung wurde die Gleichung Ne=4NmNf/(2Nm + Nf) als genauerer Schätzer als die allgemein bekannte Formel gefunden. Die effektive Populationsgröße mehrerer Wild-, Versuchs- und Haustierpopulationen wurden mittels der abgeleiteten Gleichung und demographischen und ökologischen Daten geschätzt. [source]


Assessing spatial variation in browsing history by means of fraying scars

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2004
Bruno Vila
Abstract Aim, We used fraying scars to understand spatial variation in browsing history. Information on browsing history is an essential background in studies on the long-term effect of deer browsing on the flora and fauna and of its variation in space. Location, We focused on two small neighbouring islands of Haida Gwaii (British Columbia, Canada), Reef Island and South-Skedans Island, colonized by introduced black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis). Methods, We searched for sites where trees with fraying scars were clustered. We studied the trees that deer selected (species, size) and the characteristics of scars (number, position, size). Using a cross-dating procedure, we dated fraying scars with dendrochronology, obtaining an accurate estimate of the year the scar was formed. Results, On Reef Island, Thuja plicata was the tree species chosen for fraying. On South-Skedans Island, where Thuja plicata is missing, deer chose Salix sp. and Alnus rubra. Deer chose only trees with a circumference of less than 50 cm. About two to three fraying scars were recorded per tree. All of them extended between 30,40 and 70,80 cm from the ground and were between 5 and 6 cm in width. On Reef Island, 95% of the scars were formed during the last 50 years. On South-Skedans Island, 95% were formed over the last 10 years. Age distribution of scars showed a constant increase of the number of scars over time. It indicated that deer had colonized Reef Island 53 years prior to this study but were absent or rare on South-Skedans Island until 13 years prior to this study. Main conclusions, These results indicate different colonization dates and thus different length of browsing histories for the islands studied and provide the historical background necessary to analyse the involvement of deer in the current differences in the flora and fauna observed between islands. [source]


Statistical thermodynamics of internal rotation in a hindering potential of mean force obtained from computer simulations

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2003
Vladimir Hnizdo
Abstract A method of statistical estimation is applied to the problem of one-dimensional internal rotation in a hindering potential of mean force. The hindering potential, which may have a completely general shape, is expanded in a Fourier series, the coefficients of which are estimated by fitting an appropriate statistical,mechanical distribution to the random variable of internal rotation angle. The function of reduced moment of inertia of an internal rotation is averaged over the thermodynamic ensemble of atomic configurations of the molecule obtained in stochastic simulations. When quantum effects are not important, an accurate estimate of the absolute internal rotation entropy of a molecule with a single rotatable bond is obtained. When there is more than one rotatable bond, the "marginal" statistical,mechanical properties corresponding to a given internal rotational degree of freedom are educed. The method is illustrated using Monte Carlo simulations of two public health relevant halocarbon molecules, each having a single internal-rotation degree of freedom, and a molecular dynamics simulation of an immunologically relevant polypeptide, in which several dihedral angles are analyzed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 1172,1183, 2003 [source]


Three-dimensional representation of curved nanowires

JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY, Issue 3 2004
Z. HUANG
Summary Nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanotubes and nanocoils, can be described in many cases as quasi one-dimensional curved objects projecting in three-dimensional space. A parallax method to construct the correct three-dimensional geometry of such one-dimensional nanostructures is presented. A series of scanning electron microscope images was acquired at different view angles, thus providing a set of image pairs that were used to generate three-dimensional representations using a matlab program. An error analysis as a function of the view angle between the two images is presented and discussed. As an example application, the importance of knowing the true three-dimensional shape of boron nanowires is demonstrated; without the nanowire's correct length and diameter, mechanical resonance data cannot provide an accurate estimate of Young's modulus. [source]


Imaging Spinal Cord Damage in Multiple Sclerosis

JOURNAL OF NEUROIMAGING, Issue 4 2005
M. A. Rocca MD
ABSTRACT During the past 2 decades, the considerable improvement of magnetic resonance (MR) technology and the development of new MR strategies capable of providing an in vivo overall assessment of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology have allowed us to obtain important novel pieces of information on disease evolution in the brain. However, despite this, the correlation between brain MR imaging metrics and clinical disability are still suboptimal. A reason for this discrepancy might be the involvement of clinically eloquent structures, such as the spinal cord, which owing to technical challenges have not been extensively studied using MR imaging until very recently. An objective and accurate estimate of the presence and extent of spinal cord damage might indeed contribute to increasing the strength of the correlations between clinical and MRI metrics. This review summarizes the main results obtained from the application of conventional and modern MR-based techniques for the evaluation of spinal cord damage in MS. [source]


Stress relaxation of bone significantly affects the pull-out behavior of pedicle screws

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 6 2004
Serkan Inceoglu
Abstract The initial fixation strength of pedicle screws is commonly tested using a standard pull-out test with load applied at a constant rate. This method overlooks the cyclic nature of in situ loading responsible for clinical failure. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of stress relaxation properties at the bone,screw interface on screw fixation strength. Pedicle screws were inserted into calf lumbar vertebrae using a paired testing array. After embedding and mounting in a custom fixture, axial pull-out tests were performed at the rates of 1, 5, and 25 mm/min. For each vertebra, one screw was pulled at a continuous rate. The other screw was pulled at increments of 0.5 mm, at the same rate, with 1000 s pause between increments. Peak load, energy-to-failure, displacement-to-failure, and stiffness were calculated for each screw pull-out test. Two-way ANOVA showed that the standard pull-out method yielded significantly higher peak loads (p < 0.05) at faster pull-out rates and higher stiffnesses (p < 0.05) at all rates compared to the stress relaxation pull-out protocol. These results suggest that the stress relaxation properties of bone significantly affect the pull-out behavior of pedicle screws, reducing the peak load and stiffness values observed during testing. This mode of testing may provide a better biomechanical model of screw pull-out failure and a more accurate estimate of initial fixation strength. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [source]


Applications and limitations of whole-brain MAGIC VASO functional imaging

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2007
A. Scouten
Abstract This work extends the multiple acquisitions with global inversion cycling vascular space occupancy (MAGIC VASO) method to human whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3.0 Tesla and demonstrates the need to consider the dynamic contribution of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the relative VASO signal change (,VASO/VASO). Simulations were performed to determine the optimal slice number between global inversions, and correction factors were obtained to account for incomplete blood nulling in particular slices. The necessity of an accurate estimate of resting cerebral blood volume (CBVrest) is discussed in the context of ,CBV/CBV calculations. A three-compartment model is proposed to include both the resting and changing fractional CSF contribution (xc,rest and ,xc, respectively) to ,VASO/VASO. A MAGIC VASO sequence that provides whole-brain coverage is demonstrated using a paradigm comprised of visual, motor, and auditory stimulation. Activated regions are quantitatively compared in the corresponding blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) images. Estimates of the minimum ,CBV/CBV resulting from motor and visual stimulation were comparable to previous findings at 17 ± 8% (N = 8) and 19 ± 9% (N = 6), respectively. The absence of VASO activation for auditory stimulation and evidence of activation-induced decreases in CSF volume fraction around the insula and superior temporal gyrus support the possibility of a ,xc contribution to the VASO signal. Without specific knowledge of the CSF components (xc,rest and ,xc), inference of ,CBV/CBV from ,VASO/VASO is severely limited. Magn Reson Med 58:306,315, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Perturbation theory and excursion set estimates of the probability distribution function of dark matter, and a method for reconstructing the initial distribution function

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008
Tsz Yan Lam
ABSTRACT Non-linear evolution is sometimes modelled by assuming there is a deterministic mapping from initial to final values of the locally smoothed overdensity. However, if an underdense region is embedded in a denser one, then it is possible that its evolution is determined by its surroundings, so the mapping between initial and final overdensities is not as ,local' as one might have assumed. If this source of non-locality is not accounted for, then it appears as stochasticity in the mapping between initial and final densities. Perturbation theory methods ignore this ,cloud-in-cloud' effect, whereas methods based on the excursion set approach do account for it; as a result, one may expect the two approaches to provide different estimates of the shape of the non-linear counts in cells distribution. We show that, on scales where the rms fluctuation is small, this source of non-locality has only a small effect, so the predictions of the two approaches differ only on the small scales on which perturbation theory is no longer expected to be valid anyway. We illustrate our results by comparing the predictions of these approaches when the initial,final mapping is given by the spherical collapse model. Both are in reasonably good agreement with measurements in numerical simulations on scales where the rms fluctuation is of the order of unity or smaller. If the deterministic mapping from initial conditions to final density depends on quantities other than the initial density, then this will also manifest as stochasticity in the mapping from initial density to final. For example, the Zeldovich approximation and the ellipsoidal collapse model both assume that the initial shear field plays an important role in determining the evolution. We compare the predictions of these approximations with simulations, both before and after accounting for the ,cloud-in-cloud' effect. Our analysis accounts approximately for the fact that the shape of a cell at the present time is different from its initial shape; ignoring this makes a noticeable difference on scales where the rms fluctuation in a cell is of the order of unity or larger. On scales where the rms fluctuation is 2 or less, methods based on the spherical model are sufficiently accurate to permit a rather accurate reconstruction of the shape of the initial distribution from the non-linear one. This can be used as the basis for a method for constraining the statistical properties of the initial fluctuation field from the present-day field, under the hypothesis that the evolution was purely gravitational. We illustrate by showing how the highly non-Gaussian non-linear density field in a numerical simulation can be transformed to provide an accurate estimate of the initial Gaussian distribution from which it evolved. [source]


Very high contrast integral field spectroscopy of AB Doradus C: 9-mag contrast at 0.2 arcsec without a coronagraph using spectral deconvolution,

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
Niranjan Thatte
ABSTRACT We present an extension of the spectral deconvolution (SD) method to achieve very high contrast at small inner working radii. We apply the method to the specific case of ground-based adaptive optics fed integral field spectroscopy (without a coronagraph). Utilizing the wavelength dependence of the Airy and speckle patterns, we make an accurate estimate of the point spread function that can be scaled and subtracted from the data cube. The residual noise in the resulting spectra is very close to the photon noise from the starlight halo. We utilize the technique to extract a very high signal-to-noise ratio H - and K -band spectrum of AB Doradus (AB Dor) C, the low-mass companion to AB Dor A. By effectively eliminating all contamination from AB Dor A, the extracted spectrum retains both continuum and spectral features. The achieved 1, contrast is 9 mag at 0.2 arcsec, 11 mag at 0.5 arcsec, in 20 min exposure time, at an effective spectral bandwidth of 5.5 nm, proving that the method is applicable even in low-Strehl regimes. The SD method clearly demonstrates the efficacy of image slicer based integral field units in achieving very high contrast imaging spectroscopy at small angular separations, validating their use as high-contrast spectrographs/imagers for extreme adaptive optics systems. [source]


Visual Tracking and LIDAR Relative Positioning for Automated Launch and Recovery of an Unmanned Rotorcraft from Ships at Sea

NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009
MATT GARRATT
Sensors and systems for a fully autonomous unmanned helicopter have been developed with the aim of completely automating the landing and launch of a small-unmanned helicopter from the deck of a ship. For our scheme, we have combined a laser rangefinder (LRF) system with a visual tracking sensor to construct a low-cost guidance system. Our novel LRF system determines both the distance to and the orientation of the deck in one cycle. We have constructed an optical sensor to complement the laser system, comprising a digital camera interfaced to a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), which enables the entire target tracking computation to be achieved in a very small self-contained form factor. A narrowband light source on the deck is detected by the digital camera and tracked by an algorithm implemented on the FPGA to provide a relative bearing to the deck from the helicopter. By combining the optical sensor bearing with the information from the laser system, an accurate estimate of the helicopter position relative to the deck can be found. [source]


Average protein density is a molecular-weight-dependent function

PROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 10 2004
Hannes Fischer
Abstract The mass density of proteins is a relevant basic biophysical quantity. It is also a useful input parameter, for example, for three-dimensional structure determination by protein crystallography and studies of protein oligomers in solution by analytic ultracentrifugation. We have performed a critical analysis of published, theoretical, and experimental investigations about this issue and concluded that the average density of proteins is not a constant as often assumed. For proteins with a molecular weight below 20 kDa, the average density exhibits a positive deviation that increases for decreasing molecular weight. A simple molecular-weight-depending function is proposed that provides a more accurate estimate of the average protein density. [source]


Australian House Prices: A Comparison of Hedonic and Repeat-Sales Measures,

THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 269 2009
JAMES HANSEN
House prices are difficult to measure due to changes in the composition of properties sold through time and changes in the quality of housing. I explore whether these issues affect simple measures of house prices, and whether regression-based measures provide an accurate alternative to measuring pure house price changes in Australia. Using unit record data for Australia's three largest cities, regression-based approaches provide a more accurate estimate of pure price changes than a median, and are comparable, with around half of the variation in prices growth explained. These results confirm that regression-based measures are useful for measuring house price changes in Australia. [source]


Incidence and Characteristics of Rroma Men in Romanian Prisons

THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 3 2002
Ioan Durnescu
This article reports on findings from the first stage of a longer study of the realities of offending in Romania, which has the highest incarceration rate in Europe. The main goals of the research were to make an accurate estimate of the number of Rroma (Gypsy) men in Romanian prisons and to identify their socio-cultural characteristics and criminality. The information from this study will be used to help facilitate the work of the developing probation service in Romania and the social integration of Rroma offenders. It should also inform a crime reduction strategy in Romania and hopefully, the social inclusion policies of the European Commission, Romania and its accession neighbours all having large Rroma communities. [source]


Accurate charge density of the tripeptide Ala-Pro-Ala with the maximum entropy method (MEM): influence of data resolution

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, Issue 4 2007
Andreas Hofmann
The accurate electron density of Ala-Pro-Ala is determined by the maximum entropy method (MEM), employing the same reflection data measured at 100,K which was used for a multipole refinement by Kalinowski et al. [(2007), Acta Cryst. Accepted for publication]. Properties of the electron density are compared with the corresponding properties of the static electron density from the multipole model and to the dynamic MEM electron density of trialanine at 20,K. It is thus shown that the increased thermal smearing at 100,K leads to lower electron densities in the bond critical points and atomic charges closer to zero for Ala-Pro-Ala than has been obtained for trialanine at 20,K. The influence of the resolution of the data is investigated by a series of MEM calculations. Atomic charges and atomic volumes are found not to depend on the resolution, but the charge density in the BCPs decreases with decreasing resolution of the dataset. The origin of this dependence is found to lie mostly in the more accurate estimate of the atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) for the higher-resolution datasets. If these effects are taken into account, meaningful information on chemical bonding can be obtained with data at a resolution better than dmin = 0.63,Å. Alternatively, low-resolution X-ray diffraction data can be used in accurate electron-density studies by the MEM, if another source of accurate values of the ADPs is available, e.g. from refinements with multipole parameters from a database of transferable multipole parameters. [source]