Fine Comb Research Articles

Temporal separation of whale vocalizations from background oceanic noise using a power calculation

The process of analyzing audio signals in search of cetacean vocalizations is in many cases a very arduous task, requiring many complex computations, a plethora of digital processing techniques and the scrutinization of an audio signal with a fine comb to determine where the vocalizations are located. To ease this process, a computationally efficient and noise-resistant method for determining whether an audio segment contains a potential cetacean call is developed here with the help of a robust power calculation for stationary Gaussian noise signals and a recursive method for determining the mean and variance of a given sample frame. The resulting detector is tested on audio recordings containing southern right whale sounds and its performance is compared to a contemporary energy detector and a popular deep learning method. The detector exhibits good performance at moderate-to-high signal-to-noise ratio values. The detector succeeds in being easy to implement, computationally efficient to use and robust enough to accurately detect whale vocalizations in a noisy underwater environment.

Prevalencia de Xenopsylla cheopis en Rattus rattus en el distrito de Salas, Lambayeque

Objective: The study of the prevalence of Xenopsylla cheopis in rodents of the Rattus rattus species.The objective of the present investigation is to establish the prevalence of Xenopsylla cheopis in rodents of the Rattus rattus species. Methods: To obtain the sample, Tomahawk and Sherman traps were used that contained baits previously prepared with oatmeal and vanilla, the traps were placed in three areas: intra-home area, peridomyciliary area and in the open area. Ectoparasites were obtained using the fine comb technique. With an entomological clamp, fleas were collected in a 2ml vial, containing 70% alcohol. Results: Its prevalence in Rattus rattus rodents were evaluated, with the highest prevalence rate being the one registered in the locality of Banco in August 2016 (4.08) and the lowest index was 1.3 registered in the locality of the Ramada in November 2015. They were captured 169 rodents Rattus rattus, of which 399 fleas could be collected, 299 belonged to the Xenopsylla cheopis species. Conclusion: it was found that the prevalence of Xenopsylla cheopis in Rattus rattus rodents in the locations of Sauce, Banco, Kerguer, Algarrobo, and Ramada in the Salas district, in the period July - November 2015 and August 2016 was high.

Rivers, Isabel. Vanity Fair and the Celestial City: Dissenting, Methodist, and Evangelical Literary Culture in England, 1720–1800.

Rivers, Isabel. <i>Vanity Fair and the Celestial City: Dissenting, Methodist, and Evangelical Literary Culture in England, 1720–1800</i>.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Head Lice Infestation at Kaima Sunday School Children, Kauditan District, and North Minahasa Regency

The majority of head lice infestations occur in children, which results in social, economic and psychological impacts. Patients with louse infestation tend to experience psychological problems such as feeling ashamed, low self-esteem, isolated, fearful, and even frustrated due to the stigma of society that considers head lice infestation is synonymous with poor hygiene, poverty, and in children it is associated with a lack of attention from the sufferer's parents. Head lice are blood-sucking insects with a specific host that lives on the human head. This parasite cannot live outside the head for more than a certain period of time, because it must get food from the blood of its host. The prevalence of head lice infestation is still occurring throughout the world, especially developing countries. This study aims to identify the prevalence and factors causing head lice infestation in elementary school children. The research method is an analytical survey of Sunday school children in the village of Kaima, Kauditan District. After getting permission from the parents, children who met the inclusion criteria were examined with a fine comb and manually brushed the child's hair systematically from the temporal part of one side of the head to the other side. The examination was carried out on 99 Sunday school children consisting of 51 boys and 48 girls. The total number of children infected with head lice was 39 children (39.80 percent). Among the number of children infested, the girls amounted to 74.36% (29 children). Several factors were examined related to head lice infestation, namely gender, hair length, number of siblings, parental income, and parental education. Factors that were significantly related to head lice infestation were gender (p=000), hair length (p-0.009) and parental income (p=0.000). As conclusion, the prevalence of head lice infestation is still high with several risk factors. Management of the infestation needs to be done thoroughly by taking into ....

Discrimination of Bulk and Surface Refractive Index Change in Plasmonic Sensors with Narrow Bandwidth Resonance Combs.

A method to enable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors to discriminate between bulk and surface-localized refractive index changes is demonstrated with modified gold-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating SPR sensors (TFBG-SPR). Without this capability, all high-resolution SPR sensors should be using reference channels and strict temperature control to prevent the contamination of the desired detection of surface-localized chemical or binding events by drift of the refractive index of the medium, in which the experiment is carried out. The very fine comb of high-quality-factor resonances of a TFBG-SPR device coupled to the large differential sensitivity of some of the resonances to various perturbations is used to measure unambiguously the refractive index changes within a surface layer thinner than 25 nm from those of the bulk surrounding. The enabling modification of the conventional TFBG-SPR is a reduction of the gold coating from its optimum value near 50-30 nm: at this lower thickness, a surface plasmon wave can still be excited by a limited number of cladding mode resonances, but at the same time, the metal is thin enough to allow modes away from the SPR to tunnel across the metal and probe the bulk RI value. Measurements and simulations of the deposition of a self-assembled monolayer of 1-dodecanethiol in ethanol show that the bulk refractive index changes as small as 0.0004 can be distinguished from the formation of a 1 nm thick coating on the surface of the fiber.

Occurrence of head lice in children and adolescents seen at a hospital in Uberlândia, central Brazil

The purpose of this study was to verify the occurrence of head lice in children at a public hospital in Uberlândia, MG and factors associated with pediculosis such as sex, age, hair characteristics and socioeconomic conditions, as well as obtaining information from their parents/guardians regarding the epidemiology, its transmission, prevention and control. To obtain the data, direct hair inspection and a characterization sheet and questionnaire were utilized. An occurrence rate of 6.1 % was found in 230 children examined in a public hospital, 111 females and 119 males with the highest rates observed in female children aged 4-8 with medium to long hair. Income, level of education, hair washing, hair type, color and thickness did not seem to influence the distribution of pediculosis in the children seen in the hospital in Uberlândia. The questionnaire answered by parents/guardians indicated that the children had had at least one infestation in their lifetime. The use of fine comb and pesticides were the most usual control methods adopted. The most frequent symptom was severe itching on the scalp. Although the occurrence of head pediculosis is declining, it is still a prevalent public health problem in the child population of Uberlândia, MG. Pediculosis may be associated with sex, age and hair characteristics. Variations in the degree of these influencing factors depend on the profile of the population studied. Additional studies are required in population groups over time, particularly in those that are inadequately assisted or lack state education and health assistance.KEY WORDS: Pediculosis; ocurrence; Minas Gerais; Brazil.

Os conhecimentos sobre pediculose entre estudantes de uma escola do campo vinculada às atividades do PIBID

A pediculose é um problema de saúde causada pela infestação de piolhos do couro cabeludo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar os conhecimentos sobre a pediculose entre estudantes do ensino fundamental de uma escola do campo, de Uberaba, MG. Nós aplicamos um questionário antes e após palestra educativa sobre essa ectoparasitose para estudantes de 10 a 13 anos. Nós verificamos que antes da atividade educativa, 38% dos estudantes identificaram o piolho como um “bicho”; 47% relaram que a única forma do piolho é a lêndea; 34% indicaram que a forma de transmissão da pediculose é ficando perto de pessoas que possui piolho; 42% mencionaram que o piolho vive sugando sangue e 21% disseram que o tratamento deve ser feito com remédio e pente fino. Após a atividade educativa, 38% desses estudantes identificaram o piolho como um inseto que vive na cabeça, 37% disseram que as formas vitais do piolho são a lêndea, ninfa e adultos; 35% indicaram que a forma de transmissão da parasitose é por meio de roupas, pente e boné; 77% disseram que o piolho se alimenta de sangue; e 40% relataram que o tratamento da pediculose envolve uso vinagre e pente fino nos cabelos. Nós observamos claramente a melhoria dos conhecimentos dos estudantes quanto aos aspectos biológicos e profiláticos da pediculose por meio de palestras interativas para a promoção da saúde. Esse estudo abre a perspectiva para a construção de práticas educativas sobre a pediculose pelos bolsistas do PIBID e a comunidade da escola do campo.

Plasmonic Fiber-Optic Refractometers Based on a High Q-Factor Amplitude Interrogation

A nano-scale gold-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating sensor with clear surface plasmon resonance is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The transmission spectrum of the sensor provides a fine comb of narrowband resonances that overlap with the broader absorption of the surface plasmon and thus provides a unique tool to measure small shifts of the plasmon and identify the changes of the surrounding refractive index (SRI) with high accuracy. Meanwhile, our proposed sensor provides an amplitude interrogation method for SRI measurement, which is much simpler and cost-effective than the traditional wavelength monitoring. Experimental results obtained in sucrose solutions with different refractive indices ranging from 1.3330 to 1.3410 show that the sensitivities of our proposed sensor are 450 nm/RIU and 2040 dB/RIU by using the wavelength and amplitude interrogation methods, respectively. Furthermore, the Q-factor of amplitude interrogation signal has been increased from $\sim 70$ to $\sim 6000$ by using the narrowband cladding resonance instead of broader SPR absorption.

Plasmonic fiber-optic vector magnetometer

A compact fiber-optic vector magnetometer based on directional scattering between polarized plasmon waves and ferro-magnetic nanoparticles is demonstrated. The sensor configuration reported in this work uses a short section of tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) coated with a nanometer scale gold film and packaged with a magnetic fluid (Fe3O4) inside a capillary. The transmission spectrum of the sensor provides a fine comb of narrowband resonances that overlap with a broader absorption of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The wavelength of the SPR attenuation in transmission shows high sensitivity to slight perturbations by magnetic fields, due to the strong directional scattering between the SPR attenuated cladding modes and the magnetic fluid near the fiber surface. Both the orientation (2 nm/deg) and the intensity (1.8 nm/mT) of magnetic fields can be determined unambiguously from the TFBG spectrum. Temperature cross sensitivity can be referenced out by monitoring the wavelength of the core mode resonance simultaneously.

High resolution grating-assisted surface plasmon resonance fiber optic aptasensor

A surface plasmon resonance biochemical sensor based on a tilted fiber Bragg grating imprinted in a single mode fiber core is demonstrated. A 30–50nm thick gold coating on the cladding of the fiber provides the support for surface plasmon waves whose interaction with attached biomolecules is monitored at near infrared wavelengths near 1550nm. The transmission spectrum of the sensor provides a fine comb of narrowband resonances that overlap with the broader absorption of the surface plasmon and thus provide a unique tool to measure small shifts of the plasmon with high accuracy. The attachment on the gold surfaces of aptamers with specific affinities for proteins provides the required target-analyte system and is shown to be functional in the framework of our sensing device. The implementation of the sensor either as a stand-alone device or as part of a multi-sensor platform is also described.

Polarized spectral combs probe optical fiber surface plasmons

The high-order cladding modes of conventional single mode fiber come in semi-degenerate pairs corresponding to mostly radially or mostly azimuthally polarized light. Using tilted fiber Bragg gratings to excite these mode families separately, we show how plasmonic coupling to a thin gold coating on the surface of the fiber modifies the effective indices of the modes differently according to polarization and to mode order. In particular, we show the existence of a single "apolarized" grating resonance, with equal effective index for all input polarization states. This special resonance provides direct evidence of the excitation of a surface plasmon on the metal surface but also an absolute wavelength reference that allows for the precise localization of the most sensitive resonances in refractometric and biochemical sensing applications. Two plasmon interrogation methods are proposed, based on wavelength and amplitude measurements. Finally, we use a biotin-streptavidin biomolecular recognition experiment to demonstrate that differential spectral transmission measurements of a fine comb of cladding mode resonances in the vicinity of the apolarized resonance provide the most accurate method to extract information from plasmon-assisted Tilted fiber Bragg gratings, down to pM concentrations and at least 10(-5) refractive index changes.

Comparative efficacy of commercial combs in removing head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae)

The use of a fine comb for removing lice from the head of the human host is a relevant tool both in the diagnosis of infestations and as part of an integrated control strategy of head lice. The effectiveness of a fine comb depends, in part, on the design and material they are built. The aim of this study was to compare in vivo the efficacy of metal and plastic combs that are currently used in the removal of head lice and eggs worldwide. The space between comb teeth and the length was 0.23 and 13mm in KSL® plastic, 0.3 and 10.7mm in NOPUCID® plastic, 0.15 and 31mm in KSL® metal and 0.09 and 37mm in ASSY® metal. The assays were performed comparing the combs in pairs: (a) KSL® vs. NOPUCID® plastic combs, (b) KSL® vs. ASSY® metal combs and (c) KSL® plastic comb vs. ASSY® metal comb. The most effective plastic comb was KSL®, removing a higher number of individuals of all stages. The most effective metal comb was ASSY®, removing more insects of all stages (except adults). The comparative test between KSL® plastic and ASSY® metal showed that ASSY® was the most effective in removing head lice and their eggs.

Do nit removal formulations and other treatments loosen head louse eggs and nits from hair?

Eggs of the head louse, Pediculus capitis De Geer (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae), are difficult to remove because the female louse fixes them to hairs using a proteinaceous secretion that hardens within seconds. The persistent eggshells are harmless but unsightly and are often mistaken for an active infestation. Combing with a fine comb (nit comb) does not readily remove the eggs or empty eggshells because of the resilience of the fixative and both folk remedies and medical products have claimed to facilitate their removal. Measurement of the force required to initiate sliding of the egg fixative using a slip-peel tester was unable to detect evidence that any of three products which claimed to have egg-loosening properties (Step 2 Nit Removal System, Clear Lice Egg Remover, RID Lice Egg Loosener Gel) had any activity or exerted any effect on the egg fixative beyond the lubricating effects conveyed by water or conventional hair conditioner.

COULD BROKEN BONE COMBS HAVE HAD NEW LIVES?

Fine comb teeth that often broke were the weakest part of bone combs. There were two possibilities in the subsequent life of such a comb – it was either thrown away or repaired. If repaired the broken part could be replaced or the shape of the artefact modified. The chosen version might have depended on the skills of the repairer. In both cases, the biography of the comb would continue within the same function and meaning sphere as before breaking. Sometimes it was not possible to repair the comb in the way that it could be used for combing again. Artefacts do not have biographies without people. Is it possible to find out who tried to give a new life to a broken artefact and why?

Harlequin's Stage: Recent Titles on Popular British Drama in the Eighteenth Century

The dominant form of in Britain during the eighteenth century was pantomime, a confection of music, spectacle, and dance, which outgrew its origins in the medley of afterpieces attached to regular drama to become the theater's most viable commercial form. Despite fierce resistance from the Augustan literary establishment, pantomime's freedom from traditional critical rules made it the vehicle of choice for many of the most important innovators of the period. Central to its success was the figure of Harlequin, a lord of misrule derived from the continental commedia dell'arte tradition, whose talismanic magic sword and priapic desire for his mistress Columbine provided a flexible template for a variety of different kinds of dramatic narrative from tragedy to farce to oriental tale. Appropriately for such an irrepressible character, Harlequin has undergone something of a renaissance in recent years and now finds himself lending his name to the titles of two recent books dealing with eighteenth-century popular British drama. John O'Brien's Harlequin Britain: Pantomime and Entertainment, 1690-1760 explores the origins of pantomime in the entertainment of the first half of the eighteenth century, taking a fine comb to its shifting cultural meanings and its gradual emergence from early controversy into a legitimate form patronized by the polite and tolerated by the literary. If O'Brien's focus is necessarily limited to the squabbles of a London elite coming to terms with the mass culture that the later Enlightenment took for granted, David Worrall's Harlequin Empire: Race, Ethnicity and the Drama of the Popular Enlightenment plots the wider results of this struggle for authority as its effects ripple out via the Anglophone world's theatrical network into provincial market towns and the former colonies in America. Resisting recent accounts that have emphasized the ideological content of Romantic-period drama, Worrall describes a transatlantic stage that is often wrong-headed and contradictory in its engagement with the wider world, but that also articulates surprisingly diverse and unpredictable attitudes to racial and national difference.

Carrier to envelope and dispersion control in a cavity with prism pairs

Continuously mode-locked lasers combine a broad bandwidth with a fine comb structure that enables high resolution spectroscopy. Independent control of the pulse duration, center of gravity of the spectrum, the mode position, and spacing are essential for spectral applications and metrology. Exact analytical expressions are derived for the first, second, and third order dispersion in a cavity with a pair of intracavity prisms. The influence of cavity controls such as tilt and translation of the end mirror on the frequency comb parameters are analyzed and calculated.

Optical measurement of azimuthal anchoring strength in nematic liquid crystals.

We have observed the azimuthal switching at the interface of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and the aligning substrate, induced by the planar electric field of a fine comb electrode. Optical transmittance as a function of applied voltage was modeled by both the elastic theory with rigid anchoring and the Landau-de Gennes theory with the interfacial energy expression 1/2Wtr[(Q two down arrows -Q two down arrows (0))(2)], where Q two down arrows is the liquid crystal order parameter and Q two down arrows (0) is the surface order parameter induced by the aligning substrate. Optical data on the in-plane switching LC cells were found to differ qualitatively with the predictions of the rigid anchoring model but to agree well with those of the Landau-de Gennes theory. We obtain not only the strength W of the azimuthal anchoring, but also find the surface order parameter S(surface) to be 20-30 % less than that of the bulk. The optically measured azimuthal anchoring strength is in good agreement with the literature values determined through other means.

Morphology of the antenna cleaner in the Hymenoptera with particular reference to non‐aculeate families (Insecta)

An electron microscopic survey of antenna cleaner morphology, mainly in non‐aculcate Hymenoptera, is presented. Modified, scale‐ or paddle‐shaped setae on the fore basitarsus were found to be widely distributed throughout the order, but were particularly well developed in the Xyeloidea. Megalodontoidea, Blasticotomidae, Siricoidca, Orussoidea, Cephoidea and Chalcidoidea. as well as in the aculeate family Formicidae. A comb of fine setae on the fore basitarsus was present in all Apocrita, with the exception of the Trigonalyoidea, Evaniidae, and some families of Chalcidoidea, but among the symphytan families was present only in the Orussidae. Members of the symphytan family, Anaxyelidae have a distinct line of discrete setae in the same position as the fine comb of the Orussidae and apocritans which we term a protocomb; members of the Cephidae also show an indication of a protocomb, in the form of a line of more widely spaced, erect setae, that could form part of the same transition series. Members of the Trigonalyoidea and of the Evaniidae have no comb of fine setae but do possess one or more rows of highly modified, plate‐like structures on the fore basitarsi.

The Adolescent in Psychotherapy.

The adolescent, that strange and peculiar thing, is scrutinized with a fine comb by a perceptive and sensitive physician. Most of us tend to describe this group by its negative qualities, such as the hiatus between childhood and adulthood. This would indicate that we perceive this group with suspicion, discomfort, and trepidation. The volume is divided into three sections. The first section provides the reader with a microscopic description of the world of the adolescent. His search for his identity and his struggle to become himself is graphically portrayed by meaningful examples. Part II is a cursory assessment and description of individual therapy with this group. Part III emphasizes the residential treatment for disturbed adolescents. Holmes has an intuitive grasp in dealing with the problems of adolescence. This valuable work is devoid of all technical jargon, which is a feat in itself. The author is able to describe the nuances

THE PHARMACOPEIA AND THE PHYSICIAN.

<h3>CHAPTER XXIV.</h3><h3>Parasiticides and Antigonorrheics.</h3> It will be convenient to consider under this head, agents used for parasites other than bacteria, which infest the skin and intestines, together with a brief reference to the antigonorrheics. Cleanliness prevents nearly all hurtful skin parasitism, and the only one which we shall consider here is that of the pediculi, since other forms are commonly treated more advantageously by the specialist. The louse which infests the head requires no medication, since it is easily removed with a fine comb and thorough washing with tar soap. The ointment of red mercuric oxid or red precipitate has been used as a popular domestic remedy, and the tincture of larkspur or of stavesacre, to be mentioned again later, may be useful in many cases. The louse which infests the genital regions, Pediculus pubis, is smaller and more difficult to remove mechanically. A dilute solution of mercuric chlorid