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Latest Generation (latest + generation)
Selected AbstractsDosimetric analysis of the carousel setup for the exposure of rats at 1.62 GHzBIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 1 2004Frank Schönborn Abstract The so-called carousel setup has been widely utilized for testing the hypotheses of adverse health effects on the central nervous system (CNS) due to mobile phone exposures in the frequency bands 800,900 MHz. The objectives of this article were to analyze the suitability of the setup for the upper mobile frequency range, i.e., 1.4,2 GHz, and to conduct a detailed experimental and numerical dosimetry for the setup at the IRIDIUM frequency band of 1.62 GHz. The setup consists of a plastic base on which ten rats, restrained in radially positioned tubes, are exposed to the electromagnetic field emanating from a sleeved dipole antenna at the center. Latest generation miniaturized dosimetric E field and temperature probes were used to measure the specific absorption rate (SAR) inside the brain of three rat cadavers of the Lewis strain and two rat cadavers of the Fisher 344 strain. A numerical analysis was conducted on the basis of three numerical rat phantoms with voxel sizes between 1.5 and 0.125 mm3 that are based on high resolution MRI scans of a 300 g male Wistar rat and a 370 g male Sprague,Dawley rat. The average of the assessed SAR values in the brain was 2.8 mW/g per W antenna input power for adult rats with masses between 220 and 350 g and 5.3 mW/g per W antenna input power for a juvenile rat with a mass of 95 g. The strong increase of the SAR in the brain with decreasing animal size was verified by simulations of the absorption in numerical phantoms scaled to sizes between 100 and 500 g with three different scaling methods. The study also demonstrated that current rat phantom models do not provide sufficient spatial resolution to perform absolute SAR assessment for the brain tissue. The variation of the SARbrainav due to changes in position was assessed to be in the range from +15% to ,30%. A study on the dependence of the performance of the carousel setup on the frequency revealed that efficiency, defined as SARbrainav per W antenna input power, and the ratio between SARbrainav and SARbodyav are optimal in the mobile communications frequency range, i.e., 0.8,3 GHz. Bioelectromagnetics 25:16,26, 2004. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Are Points the Better Graphics Primitives?COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2001Markus Gross Since the early days of graphics the computer based representation of three-dimensional geometry has been one of the core research fields. Today, various sophisticated geometric modelling techniques including NURBS or implicit surfaces allow the creation of 3D graphics models with increasingly complex shape. In spite of these methods the triangle has survived over decades as the king of graphics primitives meeting the right balance between descriptive power and computational burden. As a consequence, today's consumer graphics hardware is heavily tailored for high performance triangle processing. In addition, a new generation of geometry processing methods including hierarchical representations, geometric filtering, or feature detection fosters the concept of triangle meshes for graphics modelling. Unlike triangles, points have amazingly been neglected as a graphics primitive. Although being included in APIs since many years, it is only recently that point samples experience a renaissance in computer graphics. Conceptually, points provide a mere discretization of geometry without explicit storage of topology. Thus, point samples reduce the representation to the essentials needed for rendering and enable us to generate highly optimized object representations. Although the loss of topology poses great challenges for graphics processing, the latest generation of algorithms features high performance rendering, point/pixel shading, anisotropic texture mapping, and advanced signal processing of point sampled geometry. This talk will give an overview of how recent research results in the processing of triangles and points are changing our traditional way of thinking of surface representations in computer graphics - and will discuss the question: Are Points the Better Graphics Primitives? [source] Measuring metabolic rate in the field: the pros and cons of the doubly labelled water and heart rate methodsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2004P. J. Butler Summary 1Measuring the metabolic rate of animals in the field (FMR) is central to the work of ecologists in many disciplines. In this article we discuss the pros and cons of the two most commonly used methods for measuring FMR. 2Both methods are constantly under development, but at the present time can only accurately be used to estimate the mean rate of energy expenditure of groups of animals. The doubly labelled water method (DLW) uses stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen to trace the flow of water and carbon dioxide through the body over time. From these data, it is possible to derive a single estimate of the rate of oxygen consumption () for the duration of the experiment. The duration of the experiment will depend on the rate of flow of isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen through the body, which in turn depends on the animal's size, ranging from 24 h for small vertebrates to up to 28 days in Humans. 3This technique has been used widely, partly as a result of its relative simplicity and potential low cost, though there is some uncertainty over the determination of the standard error of the estimate of mean . 4The heart rate (fH) method depends on the physiological relationship between heart rate and . 5If these two quantities are calibrated against each other under controlled conditions, fH can then be measured in free-ranging animals and used to estimate . 6The latest generation of small implantable data loggers means that it is possible to measure fH for over a year on a very fine temporal scale, though the current size of the data loggers limits the size of experimental animals to around 1 kg. However, externally mounted radio-transmitters are now sufficiently small to be used with animals of less than 40 g body mass. This technique is gaining in popularity owing to its high accuracy and versatility, though the logistic constraint of performing calibrations can make its use a relatively extended process. [source] The evolution of, and revolution in, land surface schemes designed for climate modelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2003A. J. Pitman Abstract The land surface is a key component of climate models. It controls the partitioning of available energy at the surface between sensible and latent heat, and it controls the partitioning of available water between evaporation and runoff. The land surface is also the location of the terrestrial carbon sink. Evidence is increasing that the influence of the land surface is significant on climate and that changes in the land surface can influence regional- to global-scale climate on time scales from days to millennia. Further, there is now a suggestion that the terrestrial carbon sink may decrease as global temperatures increase as a consequence of rising CO2 levels. This paper provides the theoretical background that explains why the land surface should play a central role in climate. It also provides evidence, sourced from climate model experiments, that the land surface is of central importance. This paper then reviews the development of land surface models designed for climate models from the early, very simple models through to recent efforts, which include a coupling of biophysical processes to represent carbon exchange. It is pointed out that significant problems remain to be addressed, including the difficulties in parameterizing hydrological processes, root processes, sub-grid-scale heterogeneity and biogeochemical cycles. It is argued that continued development of land surface models requires more multidisciplinary efforts by scientists with a wide range of skills. However, it is also argued that the framework is now in place within the international community to build and maintain the latest generation of land surface models. Further, there should be considerable optimism that consolidating the recent rapid advances in land surface modelling will enhance our capability to simulate the impacts of land-cover change and the impacts of increasing CO2 on the global and regional environment. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Levocetirizine is an effective treatment in patients suffering from chronic idiopathic urticaria: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, multicenter studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Alexander Kapp MD Background, Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is defined by the almost daily presence of urticaria for at least 6 weeks without an identifiable cause. Symptoms include short-lived wheals, itching, and erythema. CIU impedes significantly a patient's quality of life (QoL). Levocetirizine is an antihistamine from the latest generation approved for CIU. Aim, To investigate the efficacy of levocetirizine, 5 mg, and placebo for the symptoms and signs of CIU, as well as for the QoL and productivity. Methods, The primary criteria of evaluation were the pruritus severity scores over 1 week of treatment and over 4 weeks. The QoL was assessed via the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results, Baseline pruritus severity scores were comparable in the two treatment groups (2.06 ± 0.58). After 1 week, levocetirizine was superior to placebo and demonstrated a considerable efficacy (difference = 0.78, P < 0.001). This efficacy was maintained over the entire study period (4 weeks, P < 0.001). The number and size of wheals were considerably reduced compared with placebo over 1 week and over the total treatment period (P , 0.001). This was paralleled by an improvement in the QoL (DLQI: 7.3 units in the levocetirizine group and 2.4 units in the placebo group) and a higher productivity at work in the levocetirizine group (3.0 workdays lost per patient per month in the placebo group, 0.3 in the levocetirizine group). No unexpected adverse events occurred. Conclusions, Levocetirizine, 5 mg once daily, is an effective treatment for CIU, characterized not only by a rapid and sustained response, but also by an important improvement in QoL. [source] Use of confocal and multiphoton microscopy for the evaluation of micro-optical components and emittersMICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 4 2004J.M. Girkin Abstract We report on the application of confocal and multiphoton microscopic techniques for the evaluation of the latest generation of micro optical components. The optical emitting characteristics of arrays of matrix addressable GaN micrometer-sized light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) have been measured using a commercial confocal microscope utilising the LEDs' own emission along with reflection confocal microscopy to determine the surface structure. Multiphoton induced luminescence from the 10,20-micron diameter emitters has also been used to examine the structure of the device and we compare this with electrically induced emission. In related work, the optical properties of micro lens arrays (10,100-micron diameter) fabricated in SiC, Sapphire, and Diamond have been determined using transmission confocal microscopy. Such optical microscopy techniques offer a simple, non-destructive method to determine the structure and performance of such novel devices. Microsc. Res. Tech. 64:293,296, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Computed Tomography of the Lungs of the Dog by a Six-generation CT Scanner, Intravenous Contrast Medium and Different WindowsANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 2005L. Cardoso Computed tomography (CT) is a modern technique of image diagnosis particularly recommended in human medicine to evaluate the existence of pulmonary pathological changes such as neoplasms, metastasis, interstitial infiltrates, etc. In veterinary medicine, however, few anatomical and clinical CT studies in the dog have used apparatus of the latest generation, including injection of intravenous contrast and application of regional specific CT windows with different window width (WW) and window level (WL) to evaluate the lungs, the pulmonary vessels and the bronchial structures. This methodology allows the obtaining of clear CT images with high capacity of tissue discrimination and different shades of attenuation. In this work we have planned a tomographic study of the lungs of the dog by using a six-generation spiral CT scanner (Toshiba Ex Vision), belonging to the private Medical Institute of Radiology ,Irion' of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Four mixed-breed mature dogs (4,6 years, 15,20 kg) were used, two males and two females. The dogs were anaesthetized and kept in a maximum inspiration when obtaining the images. Dogs were placed in a stretcher in a ventral or sternal recumbency. Previously, the contrast urografin® was injected in the cephalic vein. Different CT windows were applied in order to increase the quality of the images: pulmonary window (WW 928; WL -680), high-resolution pulmonary window (WW 1085; WL -750), and soft tissue window (WW 652; WL -34). The use of intravenous contrast, different CT windows and a modern CT apparatus produced excellent images of the pulmonary parenchyma, the pleural cavity, the pulmonary veins, the lobular rami of the pulmonary artery and the lobular bronchi. [source] | |||||||||||||