Concave Center Research Articles

A fully automatic curve localization method for extracted spine

The automation of scoliosis positioning presents a challenging and often understated task, yet it holds fundamental significance for the automated analysis of spinal morphological anomalies. This paper introduces a novel spinal curve localization model for precisely differentiating the spinal curves and identifying their concave centers. The proposed model contains three components: i) custom spine central line model, to define the spine central line as a combination of several secant line sequences with different polarities; ii) custom curve model, to classify each spinal curve into one of 11 curves types and deduce each its concave centers by several custom formulas; and iii) adapted distance transform and quadratic line fitting algorithm coupled with custom secant line segment searching strategy (DTQL-LS), to search all line segments in the spine and group consecutive line segments with identical polarity into line sequence. Experimental results show that its positioning success rate is close to 99%. Furthermore, it exhibits significant time efficiency, with the average time to process a single image being less than 30 milliseconds. Moreover, even if some image boundaries are blurred, the center of the curve can still be accurately located.

Two- and Three-Dimensional Ultrastructures of the Micron-Scale Adhesive Setae of a Leaf Beetle Chrysochus chinensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)1

Abstract Chrysochus chinensis (Baly) (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) is a phytophagous leaf beetle that excels in climbing on its host plants’ leaf surfaces and has well-developed adhesive setae on its feet. Using scanning electron microscopy, we examined the ultrastructure of the adhesive setae and recognized three types of setae, namely pointed, spatulate, and discoidal. The terminal plate areas of the three types of setae were 7.59 ± 1.76 μm2, 41.16 ± 1.46 μm2, and 63.65 ± 2.35 μm2, respectively. The three-dimensional topography of the terminal plates of three types of setae were imaged with an atomic force microscope. We found that the terminal plate of the discoidal seta had a concave center and a high circular edge, and the edge was 200–400 nm higher than the center. The ventral side of the spatulate seta was smooth with a 200-nm-high edge at two sides of the terminal plate. The results showed that the discoidal seta had the biggest terminal plate area (63.65 ± 2.35 μm2) and its topography can gather liquid and produce a 200- to 400-nm-thick fluid film between the terminal plate and smooth substrates. With the help of capillary force of the tarsal secretion, it can enhance adhesion force. The function of the discoidal seta, which is only present on male beetles, is hypothesized to serve for strong attachment force during mating.

The Monumental Kurgans in Bronze Age in River Kura Basin

The article contains with the archaeological excavations of the Deller Jayir kurgans at 322.700 km of the SCPX (South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion Project) pipeline corridor. These kurgans are located in the territory of Deller Jayir village of Shamkir district of Azerbaijan Republic. About 10 kurgans were recorded in the kurgan field located on a relatively high hill on the right bank of the river, about 100-150 m away from the Jayir River, only 2 of them fell into the pipeline corridor, excavated and explored.
 The surface of the Deller Jayir kurgans consists of stone formations with a clearly visible circular shape and a relatively concave center. They are located close to each other at a distance of 5-6 m. Preliminary analysis of the structures and burial rites in the Deller Jayir kurgans and the forms of the few pottery fragments found in these kurgans show that these kurgans date the transition stage from Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age, to be precisely, to the 15th-14th centuries BC.

Effect of piston geometry design and spark plug position on the engine performance and emission characteristics

<abstract> <p>This paper investigates the influence of piston geometry design and spark plug position on the engine performance and emission characteristics at a range of speeds from 1200 rpm to 2200 rpm. Accordingly, the parameters of the indentation depth, the spark plug position, the location of the recess, and the engine's compression ratio are changed and evaluated. The concave center depth improved the mixture of air and fuel, increased power, and reduced fuel consumption. The power can be improved by up to 3% when the piston top recess is 25 mm. In addition, within a limited range, the combustion process and the engine's power and emission characteristics are enhanced when the engine's compression ratio rises. Increasing the depth of the depression on the top of the piston improves fluid flow in the cylinder, resulting in increased power, fuel efficiency, and emissions; however, the improvement between the indentations remains unclear.</p> </abstract>

Effect of passive commutation on heat transfer and flow characteristics of non-circular pipes

Based on the need for energy-saving and consumption reduction in industrial applications, the effect of an internal concave structure on a heat exchanger tube with a right-angle trapezoidal cross-section and changing the flow direction on the heat transfer and flow characteristics in the tube was investigated. CFD techniques were used to study the effect of the inner concave structure with 15mm and 30mm center spacing and 1.88mm and 3.75mm radius of curvature on the heat transfer and flow characteristics of air under turbulent flow conditions in the range of Re13349 to 57847, and the heat transfer law was explored in terms of the combined heat transfer performance PEC and the coefficient of variation of the convective heat transfer coefficient and verified to be consistent with the field The effect of the variation of the synergy angle was confirmed. The results show that the PEC of the pipe is enhanced with the increase of the inner concave radius and the decrease of the inner concave center spacing.

2,3-Diphospho-D-glyceric acid inhibits calciprotein particle growth and calcification in MOVAS cells but not in MC3T3-E1 cells

Anionic polyphosphate compounds are well-known to inhibit the formation of hydroxyapatite crystals. Vascular calcification (VC) is associated with an increase in crystalline calciprotein particles (CPPs) in the bloodstream. 2,3-Diphospho-D-glyceric acid (2,3-DPG) is a highly anionic Poly-P compound found in the concave center of erythrocytes where it binds to hemoglobin, thereby reducing oxygen affinity. Since 2.3-DPG exists in plasma, we hypothesized that 2,3-DPG may act as an endogenous inhibitor of VC. In comparison to widely recognized calcification inhibitors such as myo-inositol hexakisphosphate, 2,3-DPG significantly delayed the formation of crystalline CPPs. Additionally, 2,3-DPG inhibited calcification in a mouse vascular smooth muscle cell line (MOVAS) without cytotoxic effects. Taken together with the result that 2,3-DPG did not impact bone-like nodule formation in mouse osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells, these results suggest that 2,3-DPG may inhibit VC selectively.

Study on a New Forming Method—Thread Rolling by Crystal Plasticity Finite Element Simulation

In order to study a new thread rolling forming process from a microscopic perspective, a polycrystalline model was established, based on the crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) and Voronoi polyhedron theory. The fluidity of metals was studied to explain the reason for the concave center. The simulation results show that the strain curve of the representative element can more truly reflect the deformation behavior of the material. The grain orientations after deformation are distributed near the initial orientation. The evolution of each slip system is determined by the initial grain orientations and grain locations. The pole figures obtained from the experiment show high consistency with the pole figures obtained by simulation, which verifies the accuracy of the texture prediction by CPFEM. The experimental results show that thread rolling is more uniform in deformation than ordinary rolling.

Fabrication of natural cellulose films with pattern by viscosity regulation of its solution

The structure and properties of polymer film are greatly affected by the patterns on its surface arising from solution convection. Therefore, it is necessary to explore more detail mechanism of pattern formation. Herein, we have successfully designed variable patterns on the surface of cellulose films via roller coating method. The cellulose with three degrees of polymerization was used as raw material, and a solution of N,N-dimethyl-acetamide/lithium chloride (DMAc-LiCl) was selected as the solvent system. The pattern variations were controlled by the solution viscosity, which was affected by the degree of polymerization of cellulose, concentration and temperature of solution. The formation process of the pattern on cellulose film was in situ tracked by video recording with the help of carbon black tracker. It was found that the solution moved from the edge of the cell pattern to the center at a relatively lower viscosity (η < 8.06 Pa s), and finally formed a polygon pattern with the convex center. With the increasing of the solution viscosity (η ≥ 8.06 Pa s), the direction of its convection was completely opposite and a circular or circular-like combination pattern with concave center appeared on the surface of the cellulose film. The higher the viscosity, the larger the concave area. Moreover, the film with polygon pattern demonstrated excellent mechanical properties, and also exhibited a potential anti-counterfeiting value. These results could provide guidance in perfecting the theory of polymer fluid, and regulating the structure and properties of polymer products.

Crustal density structure of the southern segment of the Liaocheng-Lankao fault, China

The 1:200,000 middle-large scale Bouguer gravity anomaly data covering the southern segment of the Liaocheng-Lankao fault (SLLF) and its vicinity are analyzed with two methods. First, the Bouguer gravity anomaly data are decomposed by two-dimensional (2D) wavelet to make the family of multi-scale modes correspond with density structure at different depths. Second, a two and half dimension (2.5D) human-computer interaction inversion of the Bouguer gravity anomaly data are conducted with the constraints provided by two deep seismic sounding profiles (DSS1 and DSS2) crossing the study area to get the crustal density profiles.Based on the integrated study, we can draw the following conclusions: 1) SLLF appears to be a deep fault with almost vertical dipping and rooted into the uppermost mantle; 2) In the middle to upper crust SLLF shows an clear turning patterns and segmentation features; 3) In the study area the epicentral distributions of the precisely re-located small earthquakes and the historical large earthquakes have a good correspondence with the turning patterns and segmentation features of SLLF; and 4) The results of the horizontal slices from 2D wavelet decomposition show that there are significant differences in the density structure on the two sides of the fault. A well-defined concave structure with low density exists in the upper crust of the Dongming Depression on the west side of the fault, with the concave center being estimated at a depth of about 8 km. In contrast, the upper crust on the east side presents a relative thinner pattern in depth with a bit higher density. Meanwhile, the low-density structure in the middle crust underneath the fault is presumably caused by the uplift of the upper mantle materials and their intrusion along the deep rupture system.This paper clarified the inconsistency of fault system and epicenters of small earthquakes from upper to lower crust. The results indicated that the fault system plays an important governing role to the seismicity in this area.

Inclusion Complexes between Starch and Oleic Acid as Hydrogel Materials

Starch-based hydrogels are biodegradable and biocompatible materials which have large surface area and are able to absorb a large amount of water. Hydrogels can be made of inclusion complexes between starch and hydrophobic guest molecules, such as starch-oleic acid complexes. The resulting hydrogels have advantages as the inclusion complexes can prevent the starch retrogradation in the hydrogel. For this purpose, inclusion complexes between starch and oleic acid were prepared by mixing cassava starch and oleic acid at 85 °C with varying complexation times(1 hour, 2 hours and 5 hours). Optimum result (product yield ~67%) was obtained by heating the reaction for 5 hours at 85 °C. In addition, the concentrations of oleic acid for complexation were varied at 10%, 20% and 50% (v/w) (calculated based on the weight of starch). The results showed that the maximum amount of oleic acid which could be complexed with starch was around 10% (v/w). The resulting products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FTIR results of the complexes showed vibration peaks at around 3600-3000 cm-1 (-OH), 2900-2800 cm-1 (-CH2), 1300-1200 cm-1 (C-O-C glycosidic bonds) and 1100-1000 cm-1 (C-C and C­-O). The XRD results showed that the resulting complexes were crystalline and constructed of V6-amylose, which was evidenced by the appearance of peaks at 2θ of 13.06° and 20.38°. Some complexes also showed interesting diffractions at 2θ of 17.07° and 30.26°. TGA results showed that the complexes started to decompose at either around 277 °C or 285 °C compared to starch which started to decompose at around 303 °C. SEM studies showed that the resulting complexes formed spheres with concave centers close to the shape of doughnuts. The complexes offered great potential to be applied as hydrogel materials, such as round hydrogels with initial average diameters of around 2.6 mm and 8.3 mm.

Role of Acid in Tailoring Prussian Blue as Cathode for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Battery.

Prussian blue (PB) with concave centers is synthesized successfully through a hydrothermal method with the assistance of acid. In this study, the role of the acid is investigated systematically by adjusting the reaction temperature and time, using different kinds and amounts of acid, and changing the amount of PVP surfactant added. It is found that the acid can not only trigger the chemical reaction to form cubic PB, but also act as an etching reagent to tailor the morphology. The as-obtained cubic PB with concave centers demonstrates a superior cycle stability and rate performance, which can achieve a capacity of 107 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 . The corresponding capacity retention is 74 % after 500 cycles relative to the second cycle. Even at a current density of 5 A g-1 , the specific capacity remains at 82 mA h g-1 . Furthermore, the full cell, using PB as the cathode and hard carbon as the anode, exhibits a high capacity of 70 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 , and can power an LED light successfully. This work provides new insights into the role of acid in tailoring the morphology of PB, and opens a new avenue toward the design of unique structures to improve sodium storage.

Rancang bangun kendali suhu dan kelembaban pada kumbu jamur tiram berbasis Arduino Mega 2560

Oyster mushroom is a food fungus with the general characteristics of the body of a white fruit to cream and the hood is semicircular shaped oyster shell with a slightly concave center. Nutritional content of oyster mushrooms are nutritious food ingredients with high protein content, rich in vitamins and minerals, low in carbohydrates, fats and calories. Oyster mushroom growth is strongly influenced by environmental conditions, especially temperature and humidity. In this research will be designed and built automatic temperature and humidity control system on oyster mushrooms to create the right environmental conditions on the cultivation of oyster mushrooms. It uses the DHT 11 sensor as a temperature and humidity sensor to be processed by an arduino mega 2560 microcontroller to condition the environment by watering, hotening and turning on the fan. The system also features data storage media temperature and humidity in the form of SD card and RTC real system for setting up timing of water oyster sprinkler. The results prove that the tool is made to function properly and can be developed as expected. The tool can maintain the temperature around 24° C - 28°C and the humidity around 79% - 87%.

Controlled synthesis of novel octapod platinum nanocrystals under microwave irradiation

Microwave was employed in the shape-controlled synthesis of Pt nanoparticles. Novel octapod Pt nanocrystals enclosed with (111) facets were readily synthesized with H2PtCl6 as a precursor, tetraethylene glycol (TEG) as both a solvent and a reducing agent, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer in the presence of an appropriate amount of KI under microwave irradiation for 140s. The as-prepared Pt nanocrystals displayed a unique octapod nanostructure with five little mastoids in each concave center and exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity than commercial Pt black in the electro-oxidations of methanol and formic acid. The results demonstrated that the use of KI was crucial to the formation of Pt octapods. KI determined the formation of the novel octapod Pt nanocrystals by tuning up the reduction kinetics and adsorbing on the surfaces of growing Pt nanoparticles. The optimum molar ratio of H2PtCl6/KI/PVP was 1/30/45.

PH- and surfactant-mediated tunable morphology and upconversion of rare-earth doped fluoride microcrystals

A novel and facile citrate-assisted hydrothermal approach has been developed for the shape-selective synthesis of fluoride microcrystals, including NaYF4 and YF3, by tuning the pH of the mother liquid. A series of controlled experiments demonstrate that three important factors, including the pH values of the mother solution and the amount of trisodium citrate in conjunction with the intrinsic character of rare-earth ions, are responsible for varied distinctive morphologies such as the truncated octahedrons, prismatic microtubes with unusual zigzag top ends, prismatic short rods with regular hexagonal concave centers, and thin plates. The possible formation mechanisms for products with various morphologies have been explored, and the mechanism based on selective adsorption and the cation exchange are proposed. The upconversion spectra of Yb/Er-doped fluoride samples with different shapes have been investigated. The shape effect on luminescence is attributed to the different crystal facet components of an anisotropic orientational microcrystal in which the crystal planes composed of the a-axis and c-axis have the difference in ion-space distance and crystallization quality.

Sequence Thickness and its Response to Episodic Tectonic Evolution in Paleogene Qikou Sag, Bohaiwan Basin

AbstractThe sequence stratigraphy framework of Paleogene of Qikou Sag has been built in this paper. The evolution law of episodic subsidence in Qikou Sag has been expounded, with the analysis of the characteristic of sequence thickness, as well as the study of consedimental tectonic activity, subsidence history, paleogeomorphology and the coupling relationship among them. The faults controlling action was the dominant mechanism during rifting stage I, as the depression was the dominant mechanism during rifting stage III, which embodies a process from intense disparity fault depression to integral subsidence. Meanwhile, under the control of regional faulting and later stage depression, subsidence rate centers and paleogeomorphic concave centers are always corresponding to the sequence thickness centers, and the changes of subsidence centers and paleogeomorphology concave centers are consistent with the migration of thickness centers, which presents the restriction, coupling and response among them and clarifies the law that tectonic activity controls the basin fill by means of controlling the subsidence rate and paleogeomorphology from contributing factor angle. On this basis, the dynamic evolution of the composite pattern of structure‐subsidence‐deposition in the fault controlling actic region during the three rifting stages and their petroleum geological significance has been discussed.

Facile synthesis of concave gold nanoplates in hexagonal liquid crystal made of SDS/water system

Concave gold nanoplates are obtained in hexagonal liquid crystal (LLC) made of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/glycine/HAuCl(4) aqueous solution system where glycine plays the key role. All plates are single-crystals, characterized by {111} facets, with concave centers of regular hexagonal or triangular shapes, and with better electrocatalytic activity than gold nanoplates.

Intermediate Filaments of Endoskeleton within Human Erythrocytes.

The mammalian erythrocytes had been considered to keep their deformable biconcave shape solely by the membrane and the underlying membranous cytoskeleton. However our previous study showed new aspects that human erythrocytes possessed a cytoplasmic endoskeleton apart from the classical membranous cytoskeleton containing beta-actin and neurofilament heavy chain (NF-H) [Terasawa K, et al. Arch. Histol. Cytol 2006; 69: 329–340]. Several studies showed that the intermediate filaments such as neurofilament light chain (NF-L), synemin and vimentin were detected in the nucleated erythrocytes [Granger BL, et al. Science. 1983; 221: 553–556] and extended from the nuclear envelope to the membranous marginal bands [Granger BL, et al. J. Cell Biol. 1982; 92: 299–312]. In the present study, we asked whether the intermediate filaments such as NF-L and vimentin also exist within the newly found endoskeleton of anucleated erythrocytes. NF-L and vimentin were detected within erythrocytes by western blotting and immunofluorescence. The NF-L were detected along the hillside filament group running parallel to the slope between convex periphery and the concave center and vimentin was distributed along several filaments in the whole erythrocytes by the ion-etching/scanning electron microscopy combined with immunocytochemistry. At the hillside region NF-L co-existed with vimentin along the hillside filaments by back scatter emission signals. We concluded that the endoskeletal filaments of the erythrocyte contain intermediate filaments such as NF-L, NF-H and vimentin as those of the nucleated erythrocytes of avian or lower vertebrates. The intermediate filaments of the endoskeleton within the erythrocytes may keep its unique biconcave disc shape against external circumstances.

Human erythrocytes possess a cytoplasmic endoskeleton containing .BETA.-actin and neurofilament protein

The biconcave disc shape of mammalian erythrocytes has been considered to be maintained only with a membrane underlain by a membranous cytoskeleton. Our improved ion-etching/scanning electron microscopy and saponin-ethanol treatment combined with immunocytochemistry in the human red blood cell revealed the three-dimensional structure of this cytoplasmic endoskeleton apart from the classical membranous cytoskeleton. The endoskeletal meshwork images obtained by the saponin-ethanol treatment corresponded to those by the repeated ion-etching method. The actin-rich endoskeleton was divided into two layers, one superficial and the other deep. The superficial filaments were perpendicularly connected to the membranous cytoskeleton, while the deep filaments formed an irregularly directed complicated meshwork. In the transitional hillside region between the convex periphery and concave center, the endoskeletal filaments containing a neurofilament protein ran parallel to the hillside slope toward the concave center. The endoskeleton of the erythrocyte associating with the membranous cytoskeleton may serve to keep its unique biconcave disc shape deformable, pliable, and restorable against external circumstances.

Chemical Blockage of the Proteasome Inhibitory Function of Bortezomib: IMPACT ON TUMOR CELL DEATH

This work was supported by a Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award and National Institutes of Health Grant R01 CA107237 (to M. S. S). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Cyclopogon dressleri (Orchidaceae), a New Orchid Species from Panama

A new species of Cyclopogon, C. dressleri Szlachetko from Panama, is described as new. It differs from the closely related C. ovalifolium Presl in having a fleshy winged isthmus and hornlike appendices on the basal lip auricles. The genus Cyclopogon Presl embraces two subgenera, Cyclopogon and Beadlea (Smith) Szlachetko, which differ from each other by the absence or presence of the basal union between sepals, respectively. The subgenus Cyclopogon contains only one species, C. ovalifolium Presl, native to the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. While studying herbarium materials of the subtribe Spiranthinae deposited at FLAS, I found a new species of the subgenus. It is described here as follows. Cyclopogon dressleri Szlachetko, sp. nov. TYPE: Panama. Cocle: upper Rio Blanco, NW of El Cope (Caribbean slope), 600-800 m, Dressier 5986 (holotype, FLAS). Figure 1. Cyclopogon ovalifolii similis, sed recedit auriculis labelli processibus carnosis, cornubovariformibus et isthmo distincte alato, alis valde incrassatis, ad nervo primario labelli declinatis et canalis formantes. Roots 1-1.5 mm diam., fleshy, clustered. Stem 240-280 mm tall, erect, delicate, above 1/3-2/3 glandular. Leaves 8, forming a basal rosette, petiolate; petiole up to 50 mm long, narrow; blade up to 50 mm long, 28 mm wide, sagittate, acute. Cauline bracts 4-5, herbaceous, acute, glabrous, adnate to the stem, slightly shorter than internodes. Inflorescence 60-80 mm long, 10-15-flowered, dense or lax. Flowers rather small, slightly pendent, glabrous, green with white tips. Floral bracts 8 mm long, lanceolate, acute, membranous, herbaceous, glabrous, single-nerved. Pedicel 1 mm long. Ovary ca. 7 mm long. Sepals connate to each other to 1V of their length, thin with thickened tips, single-nerved. Dorsal sepal 8.5 mm long, 1.2 mm wide, oblongla ceolate, subobtuse. Lateral sepals 10.5 mm long, 1.4 mm wide, oblong, obtuse. Petals 7.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, oblong or linear, obtuse, thickened at apices, single-nerved. Lip on distinct claw, adnate to t e sepaline tube; hypochile 6.5 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, narrowly obovate, thin at the base, thickening toward the concave center, with basal lip auric es ornamented by hornlike, fleshy appendices; isthmus 1.2 mm long, 2.2 mm wide, broadly winged, wings fleshy, in natural position bent inward, midvein thick ned, papillate; epichile 2 mm long, 4 mm wide, elliptical, shallowly 4-lobed, fleshy, papillate. Column 5 mm long; column foot 1.5 mm long, adnate to the ovary. Anther 2.2 mm long. Rostellum 1.5 mm long, rostellum after removal of viscidium 1.3 mm l ng, shortly 3-dentate, side teeth with margins bent outward. Cyclopogon dressleri Szlachetko differs from the closely related C. ovalifolium Presl in the lip form. In the former species the lip auricles are ornamented by fleshy hornlike appendices, whereas in the latter one there are no calli on the basal lip lobules. The isthmus of C. dressleri extends into two fleshy, suborbicular wings on each side. In natural position they are bent toward the middle vein forming a kind of channel. The shallow rounded isthmus of C. ovalifolium is not thickened on the margins. This new species is named for Robert L. Dressier, who first collected it. Acknowledgments. I am grateful to the curator of FLAS for the loan of herbarium materials and to Ryszard Ochyra for translating the diagnosis into Latin. NOVON 4: 172-173. 1994. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.28 on Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:39:05 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Volume 4, Number 2 1994 Szlachetko Cyclopogon dressleri