Size Interval Research Articles

Reconstruction and localization of auditory sources from intracerebral SEEG using independent component analysis

Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) is the surgical implantation of electrodes in the brain to better localize the epileptic network in pharmaco-resistant epileptic patients. This technique has exquisite spatial and temporal resolution. Still, the number and the position of the electrodes in the brain is limited and determined by the semiology and/or preliminary non-invasive examinations, leading to a large number of unexplored brain structures in each patient. Here, we propose a new approach to reconstruct the activity of non-sampled structures in SEEG, based on independent component analysis (ICA) and dipole source localization. We have tested this approach with an auditory stimulation dataset in ten patients. The activity directly recorded from the auditory cortex served as ground truth and was compared to the ICA applied on all non-auditory electrodes. Our results show that the activity from the auditory cortex can be reconstructed at the single trial level from contacts as far as ∼40 mm from the source. Importantly, this reconstructed activity is localized via dipole fitting in the proximity of the original source. In addition, we show that the size of the confidence interval of the dipole fitting is a good indicator of the reliability of the result, which depends on the geometry of the SEEG implantation. Overall, our approach allows reconstructing the activity of structures far from the electrode locations, partially overcoming the spatial sampling limitation of intracerebral recordings.

Gaussian phenomena for small quadratic residues and non-residues

Assuming the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, it is known that the smallest quadratic non-residue modulo a prime p p is less than or equal to ( log ⁡ p ) 2 (\log p)^2 . Our aim in this paper is to establish the distribution of quadratic non-residues in even smaller intervals of size ( log ⁡ p ) A (\log p)^A with A > 1 A >1 , for almost all primes p p .

Идеология в России времени постмодерна

In strict texts, the general rhetoric of past and present can acquire certain spe­cific meanings. Their choice is determined by the historical size of events and time intervals. In our case, we can talk about the maximum distances, up to the ideologies of postmodernity and even the search for a way out of post­modernity into the hypothetical perspective of Supernovae. If in the great history of civilization Modern is considered the time of ideologies, then Russia has also turned out to be a globally chosen place for the practical and forceful implemen­tation of total megaprojects. These super-large and revealing works of the ideo­logical introduced Soviet Russia into the category, if not the leaders, of all the life-giving pathos of the New Age and the High Modern in particular. The Russian paradox is the unconditional triumph of Marxism as a state, institu­tionalized worldview, but based on absolute criticism of the ideological one. These features require a consistent distinction between ideology as a system of ideas and a system of institutions. Like the constitution of politics by Carl Schmitt through the binary opposition friend – enemy, ideology is constituted in the opposition faith – knowledge, in the spectrum between almost religion and near philosophy. If the task of philosophy is to reveal the non-obviousness of the allegedly obvious, then the mission of ideology is the manual or mass pro­duction of obviousness. Overcoming narrowly political reductionism opens up ideology in its ultimate expansion, distinguishes between systems of ideas and systems of institutions, as well as formats of shadow, latent, diffuse, penetrating, etc. ideology.

Sample Complexity of the Sign-Perturbed Sums Identification Method: Scalar Case*

Sign-Perturbed Sum (SPS) is a powerful finite-sample system identification algorithm which can construct confidence regions for the true data generating system with exact coverage probabilities, for any finite sample size. SPS was developed in a series of papers and it has a wide range of applications, from general linear systems, even in a closed-loop setup, to nonlinear and nonparametric approaches. Although several theoretical properties of SPS were proven in the literature, the sample complexity of the method was not analysed so far. This paper aims to fill this gap and provides the first results on the sample complexity of SPS. Here, we focus on scalar linear regression problems, that is we study the behaviour of SPS confidence intervals. We provide high probability upper bounds, under three different sets of assumptions, showing that the sizes of SPS confidence intervals shrink at a geometric rate around the true parameter, if the observation noises are subgaussian. We also show that similar bounds hold for the previously proposed outer approximation of the confidence region. Finally, we present simulation experiments comparing the theoretical and the empirical convergence rates.

CenterTube: Tracking Multiple 3D Objects With 4D Tubelets in Dynamic Point Clouds

3D Multi-Object Tracking (MOT) in dynamic point cloud sequences is a fundamental research problem for several downstream tasks such as motion planning and action recognition. Existing methods usually rely on the traditional tracking-by-detection (TBD) paradigm, which performs the tracking based on the results achieved by dedicated detectors. However, this two-stage framework usually cannot sufficiently exploit spatial-temporal information and end-to-end optimization, leading to sub-optimal tracking performance, especially when the object is partially or completely occluded. In this paper, we propose a joint detection and tracking framework named <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">CenterTube</i> for dynamic point cloud sequences. The key to our approach is to formulate the problem of multiple object trajectory predictions as 4D tubelet detections. In particular, the proposed CenterTube is composed of three head branches, including a center branch, a regression branch, and a movement branch for the estimation of object center, object size, instance movement, and frame interval, respectively. Additionally, a Tube BEV-IoU (TB-IoU) is also presented to link the generated clip-level tubelets and form the final tracks. Extensive experiments conducted on the KITTI-MOT and nuScenes datasets demonstrate that our model achieves competitive performances even if no ready-made detection results is adopted.

Statistical Significance, Effect Size and Confidence Intervals

Article Type: Editorial Title: Statistical Significance, Effect Size and Confidence Intervals Year: 2022; Volume: 2; Issue: 4; Page No: 3–4 Author: Karuthan Chinna https://doi.org/10.55349/ijmsnr.20222434 Affiliation: Professor, Faculty of Business and Management, UCSI University, Malaysia. Email ID: karuthan@ucsiuniversity.edu.my Phone

Assessment of Tree Species Diversity, Family Composition and Diameter Size Class of Tree Species in Igbo-Olua Sacred Groove, Ondo State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the tree species diversity, family composition and diameter size distribution of the tree species in Igbo-Olua sacred groove, Ondo state, Nigeria using appropriate standard techniques. A total of 34 tree species distributed in 23 families were recorded. Sterculiaceae family (66) had the highest number of individual stem per ha while Moraceae family had the highest number in terms of tree species per hectare (7). The distribution of the diameter structure is typical of the natural forest type with high number of tree species in the smaller size classes or interval (12.5) and the number of tree species decreases with increasing size class or interval. Diversity measures obtained included Shannon-Weiner index (3.09), Evenness (0.64) and Margalef index (6.36). Awakening the consciousness of people towards the protection of sacred groves has practical implications on their survival. Hence government and other allied institutions should gear efforts towards grove conservation.

Genetic evaluation of Black Bengal Goat for reproductive traits

This study aimed to evaluate the reproductive potentiality of Black Bengal goat. A total of 100 Black Bengal does were evaluated based on the recorded data that has been maintained under Black Bengal goat improvement program at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Savar, Dhaka. Investigation was done to ascertain the effect of generation, parity and season of birth of doe on birth weight (Bwt), age at first service (AFS), age at first kidding (AFK), average kidding interval (AKI) and average litter size per doe (ALS/doe).The mean Bwt, AFS, AFK, AKI and ALS/doe were 1.22±0.02 kg, 212.95±1.87 day, 360.26±1.88 day, 230.46±3.70 day and 1.53±0.03, respectively. Generation had non-significant (p&gt;0.05) effect to all the respected traits. Parity and season of birth significantly (p&lt;0.001) affected the ALS/doe. The litter size ranges 1.11 to 1.78, which increased linearly with the progressive parity of dam. Litter size (1.63±0.04) was found higher in summer, followed by winter (1.51±0.07) and rainy season (1.36±0.08). Estimated heritability for Bwt, AFS, AFK, AKI and ALS/doe were 0.46±0.12, 0.46±0.11, 0.49±0.11, 0.46±0.10 and 0.49±0.12, respectively. Though reproductive traits always have lower heritability estimates but all the estimates seem to have high magnitude. The range of estimated Breeding Value (EBV) of Bwt, AFS, AFK, AKI and ALS/doeversed over a wider context, which indicates there is scope for genetic improvement in next generation progeny except the Bwt trait. Altogether, the results of the investigated traits could be well used to select better candidates for producing next generation. Bang. J. Livs. Res. Vol. 29 (1&amp;2), 2022: P. 21-33

Opportunistic Survey Analyses Reveal a Recent Decline of Skate (Rajiformes) Biomass in Falkland Islands Waters

Data were combined from surveys in 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2021 to examine biomass changes of the skate (Rajiformes) stock in waters around the Falkland Islands. The 2013 and 2019 surveys were research surveys for skate abundance and used 90 mm trawl mesh to capture species and size compositions. The 2018 survey was a mesh size trial, and the 2021 survey was a commercial exploration; both used 400 mm trawl mesh to target skates. All four surveys were compared for biomass by deselecting the proportions of skates per size interval caught in 90 mm mesh that would not have been caught in 400 mm mesh, calculated with the SELECT method. Estimated commercial-size skate biomass decreased for most species individually and approximately 61% overall. Estimated commercial-size skate biomass also decreased by as much south of 51° latitude, the area that was closed to skate target fishing since 1996, as north of 51° latitude, which has been maintained open to skate target fishing. The outcome is correlated with continuing skate bycatch in finfish trawls.

2156. Impact of Asymptomatic Upper Respiratory Viral Shedding in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgical Patients

Abstract Background Intraoperative and postoperative complications associated with symptomatic upper respiratory infections in young children are well-documented; however, asymptomatic upper respiratory viral shedding is frequent and may be prolonged. Necessary pediatric cardiac surgical procedures could be delayed with recognition of asymptomatic viral shedding. This study aimed to assess if a positive preoperative respiratory viral panel PCR (+ RVP) impacted postoperative length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) or hospital and assessed for an association among + RVP and adverse clinical events. Methods Patients &amp;lt; 3 years old presenting to a freestanding children’s hospital for cardiothoracic surgery from March 2018-March 2020 were enrolled. Within 24 hours before surgery, an RVP via nasopharyngeal swab for PCR was collected from subjects. Chart review was completed after hospital discharge. Mean difference between RVP status and length of stay for PICU and hospital was assessed with an independent, two group, sample t-test. Logistic regression was used to test association between RVP status and adverse clinical events (VAP, SSI, prolonged fever, ventilator use, or antibiotics), adjusted by complexity of surgical procedure using the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery-1 (RACHS-1) score. Results There were 95 subjects included, approximately 50% female, 75% Caucasian; 39% had + RVP (Table 1). There was no statistical association between RVP status and length of PICU (p=0.35) or hospital stay (p=0.28) (Table 2). Odds ratio for extubation in the operating room was significantly associated with +RVP, though small sample size and wide confidence intervals limit generalizability of this observation (Table 3). There were no clinically significant associations between RVP status and adverse events. Table 1.Subject DemographicsTable 2.Mean Difference in Length of Stay by RVP StatusTable 3.Odds Ratios of Clinical Adverse Events by RVP status Conclusion This limited, single-center study suggests that preoperative RVPs in pediatric cardiac surgery candidates identified asymptomatic viral shedding in 39%, though provided no detectable clinical benefit. Larger studies are needed to fully explore specific adverse clinical events and individual viral pathogen impacts. Institutional policies requiring preoperative RVP screening for pediatric cardiac surgery should be discouraged. Disclosures Kari Simonsen, MD, MBA, MedImmune: Grant/Research Support|Melinta Therapeutics: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support.

Nanoanyagok alkalmazása az élelmiszeriparban és a mezőgazdaságban

Nanomaterials have unique application features which can mainly be associated with their size properties. These materials have much higher surface area than the normal size interval variant of the same materials. Due to these properties nanomaterials are widely used in the industry. Food industry and the agrarian sector are using these materials to an increasing extent [1-2]. The main goal of the nano size components and additives are the improvement of some parameters of the food manufacturing process, the elongation of the best before date of the food and the improvement of the texture, stability and the consistence of the food. Probably nanomaterials will play an important role in the development of the food industry, moreover, it can be anticipated that nanotechnology will also appear there and will influence the whole food chain. It should be remarked that food industry is using several nano size materials which are not referred to as nanomaterials. Some examples are the micelles of some proteins and fatty acids. The particle size of milk protein is in the 2-200 nm interval [3]. Considering all these, the aim of our present work was a thorough review and summary of the current applications.

Squarefrees are Gaussian in short intervals

Abstract We show that counts of squarefree integers up to X in short intervals of size H tend to a Gaussian distribution as long as H → ∞ {H\to\infty} and H = X o ⁢ ( 1 ) {H=X^{o(1)}} . This answers a question posed by R. R. Hall in 1989. More generally, we prove a variant of Donsker’s theorem, showing that these counts scale to a fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter 1 / 4 {1/4} . In fact, we are able to prove these results hold in general for collections of B-free integers as long as the sieving set B satisfies a very mild regularity property, for Hurst parameter varying with the set B.

Meta-Regulation: Adaptive Adjustment to Block Size and Creation Interval for Blockchain Systems

Once deployed, a decentralized blockchain system ensures that it will operate faithfully so that no one can interfere with or manipulate its predefined regulations, such as block size and block creation interval investigated in this paper. However, fixed regulations prevent that system from adapting to the change of the environment, such as increasing the underlying network capacity, and result in sub-optimal performance. For example, Bitcoin remains at 7 TPS (transactions per second), even operating over the current Internet. In this paper, we propose a new paradigm for defining the behavior of a consensus system, named as Meta-Regulation, which allows autonomous evolution of the system behavior. A meta-regulation adjusts the actual behavior of a consensus system in response to the changing capacity of the underlying infrastructure and the community of participants. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed meta-regulation by achieving significantly improved throughput and latency for Bitcoin, adapted to the current capacity of the Internet. Our experimental results show that Meta-Regulation can achieve at least <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$7\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> performance improvement over Bitcoin network deployed in 2009, resulting in 49.7 TPS or 68% reduction confirmation latency by fully utilizing the bandwidth and the computing power of average network nodes.

Analysis of the synergistic effect of particle size of compound mineral admixtures on the hydration properties and porosity of Portland cement under low-temperature conditions

The mechanical properties of cement matrix composites can be severely affected at low temperatures, limiting the environment in which they can be used. To ameliorate this problem, the addition of silica fume and fly ash to the matrix is an effective method. This study used silica fume and flew ash as composite admixtures mixed with Portland cement to characterize the heat of hydration, mechanical properties, and microstructure of the composite cementitious materials. The test results show that the particle size distribution of fly ash and silica fume can influence the hydration reaction rate and the whole hydration process. By adjusting the particle size of the admixtures, the structural loosening and strength attenuation of the concrete caused by low temperatures can be improved. At low temperatures, when cement hydration is low, the coarser the particle size, the better the gradation between silica fume and fly ash and the better the filling of the pores. In addition, the specific surface area of silica fume was fixed at 19.1m 2 /g, and the correlation between fly ash particle size intervals in mineral admixtures was strongest in (30~40μm), (40~50μm) on the total porosity. Silica fume in the (>0.4μm) and (0.25~0.4μm) particle size intervals had the strongest correlation with porosity. Finally, a prediction model between the particle size interval of the mineral admixture and the total porosity of the concrete under standard and low temperature curing conditions was established. • The admixture effectively fills micro-pores • Methods for improving the strength of cementitious materials at low temperatures • The particle size distribution affects the rate of hydration and the hydration process • The hydration rate can be increased by improving the particle size of the admixture.

Anatomy of chemically enhanced sewage settling by particle size distribution analysis

AbstractBACKGROUNDThis study investigated the anatomy of organic carbon (as chemical oxygen demand, COD) removal from sewage through chemically assisted settling, by means of particle size distribution (PSD) analysis: it showed which size fractions were affected, aside from the particulate COD. The experiments were conducted on the effluent of the existing preliminary treatment plant before deep‐sea discharge into the Bosphorus. FeCl3, alum and polyaluminum chloride (PAC) were used as coagulants at different doses. The performance of the coagulants on the effluent COD was interpreted with PSD.RESULTSPAC at 25 mg L−1, selected as the optimum coagulant, reduced COD below soluble COD level, to around 145 mg L−1, with an overall efficiency of more than 70%. Although chemical settling was most effective on particulate COD at &gt;450 nm, it also provided a COD removal of 28% in 220–450 nm of the colloidal range and 40% in 13–220 nm of the range, representing soluble hydrolysable COD. The lowest removal rate was observed in the soluble range, consisting of readily biodegradable (only 5%) and a part of the inert COD (&lt;2 nm) identified as 12% – twice as high as ordinary domestic wastewaters, with only 1%.CONCLUSIONPSD and COD fractionation analyses were instrumental in depicting the potential of chemically enhanced settling to reduce COD in the soluble range, identifying the distribution of remaining COD fractions in different size intervals. The results also suggested a novel treatment process with additional membrane filtration, namely membrane chemical reactor, (MCR), reflecting a potential for replacing the conventional activated sludge process. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Recruitment of the endangered limpet Patella ferruginea in the Chafarinas Islands (SW Mediterranean)

AbstractThe recruitment of the endangered limpet Patella ferruginea in the Chafarinas Islands (SW Mediterranean) was studied over a 17-year period (1999‒2015). A total of 8115 recruits &lt;20 mm in maximum diameter were counted in 95 transect censuses sampled during the study period. The presence of recruits began at the end of winter or beginning of spring (March‒April), when they reached a maximum shell diameter (MD) of at least 4 mm, with a peak in abundance occurring in spring. Smaller recruits were found on the lower midlittoral on the fringe of the vermetid gastropod Dendropoma lebeche and the crustose coralline algae Neogoniolithon brassica-florida, which suggests that settlement occurs at this shore level. Recruits reach 12‒27 mm at the end of their first year of life. A regular recruitment was detected for all studied years, with an average of 11.71 recruits m−1 across the study period. However, recruitment exhibited high interannual variability and did not occur evenly along the coastline of the islands. Higher recruitment was observed in 2001, 2011 and 2012, with a maximum density of 69.07 recruits m−1 in one transect in 2012. The density of recruits decreased in summer. No significant correlation was found between the density of recruits and adults. Between 1999‒2010, 29.29% of recruits were ‘phoretic’ on the shell of adults (1.81 recruits per host on average). Recruits climbed on to adults sometime after settlement, thus we suggest that ‘phoresy’ could favour the survival of young limpets instead of being due to selective settlement on adults. To improve and standardize recruitment monitoring in future studies, we propose that recruits are considered as those specimens &lt;20 mm in MD and that recruitment censuses are carried out in spring, with additional censuses after summer to detect juvenile mortality. Additionally, we propose that 1 mm interval size classes are used for growth studies based on size‒frequency analyses.

Computer-Aided Size Estimation of Colorectal Polyps

The presence of colorectal adenomas sized 10 mm or larger is related to the future risk of colorectal cancer; thus, it plays a crucial role in determining surveillance intervals with colonoscopy1,2. To provide an appropriate surveillance interval, objective and accurate polyp size measurements are mandatory. However, there are many hurdles to achieving this goal: size measurement after polyp removal is influenced by natural shrinkage of polyps; measurement after fixation of formalin is likely to underestimate the polyp size; and interobserver agreement and accuracy in measurement of size during colonoscopy is also suboptimal due to overestimation3 and terminal digit preference bias4.

Preparation of combined oleophobic fibre filters with pore size gradients and their high-efficiency removal of oil mist droplets

Pore size is a key factor that influences the removal of oil mist droplets by a coalescence filter. However, the influence of the pore size distribution among different filter layers on filtration performance has not been thoroughly explored. In this work, a method for preparing glass fibre filtration media with a specific structure as well as good oleophobic properties and mechanical strength was developed by combining the wet-spinning method and immersive modification. The prepared single-layer media were combined in various three-layer structures with increasing pore size gradient, decreasing pore size gradient and uniform pore size distribution. The trends in the pressure drop and droplet penetration ratio of the resulting combined filters over time were analysed systematically. The results demonstrated that in the combined filter, the first layer material had a significant influence on the filtration process and steady-state performance. Throughout filtration, the pressure drop of the filter with a decreasing pore size gradient had layering characteristics, which was conducive to capturing droplets within different particle size intervals in different stages and thereby relieving the operational pressure on different layers. Hence, the filter with a decreasing pore size gradient had a relatively low steady-state pressure drop and the best comprehensive filtration performance for submicron droplets. However, the filter with an increasing pore size gradient had the highest separation efficiency for submicron droplets and its concentration of steady-state downstream droplets was 19% lower than that in the filter composed of three layers of minimum pore size materials. The proposed mechanism by which the filter with the increasing pore size gradient improved the coalescence filtration efficiency for submicron droplets was based on capillary theory.

Sampling uncertainties of particle size distributions and derived fluxes

AbstractIn this study, we provide a method to quantify the uncertainty associated with sampling particle size distributions (PSD), using a global compilation of Underwater Vision Profiler observations (UVP, version 5). The UVP provides abundant in situ data of the marine PSD on global scales and has been used for a diversity of applications, but the uncertainty associated with its measurements has not been quantified, including how this uncertainty propagates into derived products of interest. We model UVP sampling uncertainty using Bayesian Poisson statistics and provide formulae for the uncertainty associated with a given sampling volume and observed particle count. We also model PSD observations using a truncated power law to better match the low concentration associated with rare large particles as seen by the UVP. We use the two shape parameters from this statistical model to describe changes in the PSD shape across latitude band, season, and depth. The UVP sampling uncertainty propagates into an uncertainty for modeled carbon flux exceeding 50%. The statistical model is used to extend the size interval used in a PSD‐derived carbon flux model, revealing a high sensitivity of the PSD‐derived flux model to the inclusion of small particles (80–128 μm). We provide avenues to address additional uncertainties associated with UVP‐derived carbon flux calculations.

Second litter syndrome in Iberian pig breed: factors influencing the performance

Second litter syndrome (SLS) consists of a loss of prolificacy in the second parity (P2), when a sow presents the same or lower results for litter size than in the first parity (P1). This syndrome has been reported for modern prolific breeds but has not been studied for rustic breeds. The objectives of this study are to determine how and to what degree Iberian sows (a low productivity breed recently raised on intensive farms) are affected by SLS; to establish a target and reference levels; and to assess the factors influencing the performance. Analysed data correspond to 66 Spanish farms with a total of 126 140 Iberian sows. The average Iberian sow prolificacy in P1 was 8.91 total born (TB) and 8.47 born alive (BA) piglets, whereas in P2, it decreased by −0.05 TB and −0.01 BA piglets, suggesting some general incidence of SLS. At the sow level, 56.63% did not improve prolificacy in terms of BA piglets in P2, and 16.98% had a clear decrease in prolificacy, losing ≥3 BA piglets in P2. Within herds, a mean of 57.75% of sows showed SLS, with an evident decrease in the number of BA piglets in P2. The plausible target for the Iberian farm’s prolificacy comes from the quartile of farms with the lowest percentage of SLS sows within the farms with the highest prolificacy between P1 and P2 (mean of 8.77 BA). So, in this subset of farms (N = 17), 47.3% of sows improved their prolificacy in P2 (i.e. did not show SLS). Hence, half the sows could be expected to show SLS even on farms with a good performance. Finally, this study brings out the main factors reducing P2 prolificacy through SLS in the Iberian breed: later age at first farrowing, long first lactation length, medium weaning to conception interval and large litter size in P1. In conclusion, improving the reproductive performance of Iberian farms requires reducing the percentage of sows with SLS, paying special attention to those risk factors. The knowledge derived from this study can provide references for comparing and establishing objectives of performance on Iberian sow farms which can be used for other robust breeds.