Wide Range Types Research Articles

Therapeutic Effects of Dracaena reflexa Lam.- A Review Article

In the existing study, Ayurveda is the traditional form of health care known to us. The leaves of Dracaena reflexa Lam. (Song of India leaves) were investigated to be of the best medicinal importance and were widely used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range and various types of diseases. The highest phenolic content is displayed. According to this study, Dracaena reflexa is a natural great source of antioxidants that can be used as an antioxidative from exhausted literature review we apparent that Dracaena reflexa Lam. showed anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, congestive heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmia, and antidiabetic effects. Plants are traditionally medicinal source. Dracaena reflexa (Song of India) belongs to aspergeceae family have antibacterial, antifungal, antipyretic properties showed activities like antioxidant, phytochemical and physical parameters (extractive value, moisture content, Ash value, crude fibreetc.). It is also used as traditional medicine in different diseases like antipyretics, wound healing etc. It is an ornamental plant also used as decorative plants like window door plants help to clean to environment to give pure and fresh oxygen. The find out about cultivation, physical characteristics and taxonomical properties like macroscopically and microscopically classification. Dracaena reflexa Plant has a consistent number of valuable phytochemical constituents that are used as medicines in various diseases. Alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, amino acids, tannins, steroids, glycosides, carbohydrates, lipids, and oil were found in the leaves after a qualitative screening for phytochemical components.The present article attempts to provide information on biological significance of Dracaena reflexa for further research.

Nanocomposite hydrogel for skin motion sensing – An antifreezing, nanoreinforced hydrogel with decorated AuNP as a multicrosslinker

In this study, we present a nanocomposite hydrogel designed for skin motion sensing. The hydrogel is based on poly(acrylamide) crosslinked with gold nanoparticles covalently bound to the polymer matrix, yielding a robust, highly elastic and conductive material. The choice of amino acid derivative – N,N’-diacryloylcystine salt (BISS) – as a crosslinker allows for the introduction of gold nanoparticles, due to the presence of sulfide groups in its structure. During the nanoparticle modification process, covalent bonds between gold and sulfur atoms are formed as the disulfide bond is cleaved. In result of this self-assembly process, a multifunctional Au–BISS crosslinker is formed, enhancing the material’s mechanical properties and introducing electrical conductivity. To confer anti-freezing properties and limit water evaporation, a binary mixture of water and glycerol was used. The resultant hydrogel exhibits high elasticity, strain sensitivity across a wide strain range and various types of deformation (elongation, bending, compression) with exceptional response time (120 ms) and recovery time (90 ms). The material’s cold-resistance, resilience, and conductivity make it well-suited for real-time monitoring of joint movements and speech recognition, with potential applications in electronic skin and healthcare monitoring devices.

Spectral and directional sensitive composition characterization of mixed-radiation fields with the miniaturized radiation camera MiniPIX Timepix2

The semiconductor pixel detector Timepix2 is operated with highly integrated readout electronics as a miniaturized and portable MiniPIX TPX2 radiation camera for radiation imaging and spectral-sensitive particle tracking in wide field-of-view. The device provides room-temperature operation, ease of use (single USB 2.0 port), online response with single track visualization, fast frame readout (up to 60 fps) and double per-pixel response for detailed measurements with per-pixel energy and counting or energy and timing sensitivity. We evaluate the response and applicability of a MiniPIX TPX2 camera with the Timepix2 ASIC chip equipped with a 300 µm thick silicon sensor for wide-range composition and spectral characterization of mixed-radiation fields. Measurements were performed in high-energy proton radiotherapy environments with protons of selected energies in the range 225–70 MeV and water-equivalent targets of varying configuration (size, dimension, geometry). High-resolution pattern recognition and spectral-tracking analysis of the single particle tracks in the pixelated detector enable to resolve and classify all detected signals according particle species, direction and energy loss. Based on the experimental calibrations performed with well-defined radiation fields together with quantum imaging visualization of single particle tracks, ten broad-range particle-event classes are resolved. Mixed-radiation fields are thus analyzed according particle-event types in wide range of deposited energy, linear-energy-transfer LET, particle fluxes and dose rates. The spatial distribution over the detector sensor matrix of the distinguished groups can be visualized as well as the directional mapping of energetic charged particles.

BAP31 Regulates Wnt Signaling to Modulate Cell Migration in Lung Cancer.

B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 (BAP31) has been shown to overexpress in a wide range type of cancers. The present study aims to investigate the role of BAP31 on migration in lung cancer. Results showed that the migration of BAP31 knockdown cells was weaken than the control cells. Applying TGFβ to treat BAP31 knockdown cells could reduce cell migration. The enhancement on proliferation by TGFβ treatment was downregulated after BAP31 knockdown. The cell death and G0/G1 phase arrest was increased in the cells with TGFβ and BAP31 siRNA treatment when compared with TGFβ treatment alone. Gene expression analysis showed that Bax/Bcl2, MLKL and LC3 was upregulated in the cells with combinatorial treatment of TGFβ and BAP31 siRNA. In addition, BAP31 was shown to regulate multiple signaling pathways, especially for Wnt signaling. It found that BAP31 knockdown cells treated with TGFβ decreased β-catenin cytosolic expression and nuclear localization. Wnt signaling activator BIO could restore the downregulation of proliferation by BAP31 knockdown. This finding suggested that BAP31 regulated cancer cell migration is possibly involved with cell death mechanisms and Wnt signaling.

Frequency Regulation of Electric Vehicle-Penetrated Power System Using MPA-Tuned New Combined Fractional Order Controllers

Energy transition from traditional generation sources into new renewable energy generation has become essential for facing climate changes. However, increased penetration levels of renewable energy sources (RESs) make power systems subjected to low inertia problems. Moreover, the continuously growing numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) have made the substantial need for their contribution in power systems. Therefore, this paper proposes a combined fractional-order controller using the parallel combination of tilt-integral-derivative with filter (TIDF) and hybrid fractional-order (HybFO) controllers for robust frequency regulation in interconnected power systems. The proposed controller is advantageous in combining the merits of two fractional-order controllers that result in more robust and effective load frequency control (LFC) at wide range and different types of disturbances. Furthermore, a new application of marine predator optimization algorithm (MPA) is proposed for simultaneously determining the optimum controller parameters in the different power system areas. The existing EVs contribute in performing additional functionality in power systems. EVs help in damping out the frequency and tie-line power oscillations in the proposed work. The two-area interconnected power system is selected as a case study with the installed photovoltaic (PV), and wind generations in addition to distributed EVs among areas. The obtained results show the superiority and suitability of the proposed controller over the traditional controllers in the literature. Additionally, the effectiveness of the MPA is validated and compared with recent meta-heuristic optimization algorithms.

Tectonic framework for metallogeny of precambrian structures on the example Kolyma and Omolon terranes (North-East of the Asia)

On example Omolon and Kolyma terranes (North-East of the Asia) showed a influence of the regional tectonic position and geodynamic evolution of Precambrian blocks on the structure of the ore deposits. The first of that is stable consolidated structure, and formation of basement was full completed to early of Neoproterozoic. The second example is composite terrane, similar to fold-trusted belt. Terranes with consolidated Early Precambrian crust was a stable structure for the all of geological history. Further ages of the compression and tension not to make any significance changes of that. Formed by this processes ore-controlled and ore-hosted structures correspond a deep and steep faults of the basement. By this pathways, subsequent tectonic and magmatic events permeated far into the terranes. That was favourable for forming large and hi-grade deposits but restrict the range of deposit types. Contrariwise, tectonic structure of the trust-faulted terranes was mobile for the whole timing scale. There Precambrian rocks compose of allokhtones, and trust-fault structure was multiple renewed. That was promote of forming wide range types of mineralization, but caused of dissipation of metals on numerous small-scale structures. Consequently, age and level of consolidation of the basement is a one of the most important factors of metallogeny of the Precambrian terranes. That defined the style of faulting structure (domination of steep or shallow faults), depth of the faults, morphology and geometry of the ore bodies.

A Preliminary Evaluation of Symbiotic N Fixation in Mungbean

We are interested in developing mungbean [(Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] as a short duration summer crop to be produced in rotation with winter wheat due to its’ increasing popularity and potential for Symbiotic N Fixation (SNF). However, scarcity of mungbean SNF information is limiting to support its use as an N-fixing crop. We conducted a greenhouse study with ten mungbean genotypes and twelve Bradyrhizobium strains. The objective was to study nodule traits (number and size) and chlorophyll concentration in leaves using Minolta SPAD meter using a CRD design with six replications. Eight to ten seeds of each of the 120 combinations were planted in vermiculite and inoculated with the bacterial strains. Upon germination, plants were thinned to six plants per pot. The data were recorded on approximately 40-day old plants. Results indicated that variation for nodule traits was not significant. However, significant effects of bradyrhizobial strains and mungbean genotypes on SPAD readings were observed. Results indicated existence of specificity between mungbean genotypes and bradyrhizobial strains, as indicated by significant interaction for SPAD values. We identified three bradyrhizobial strains (Strain-11 isolated from partridge pea, Strain-12 isolated from Baptisia sp., and Strain-3-CB 756, wide range type strain from Australia) to be highly efficient. Three mungbean genotypes (MB-80, TexSprout, and MB-84) were identified to be best for SNF. The results provide basic information to support future detailed SNF research in mungbean.

Toward the Development of a Robust Kinetic Model for the Cobalt Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst Lifetime Using a Novel Sigmoidal Pattern

Although catalyst deactivation rate greatly varies depending on many factors, including the catalyst structure, reactor feed composition, and operating conditions; it is usually inevitable. Since catalyst deactivation modeling has so far been poorly addressed in the literature, in the present study, nine experimental sets of cobalt based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts activity-time data were considered to be modeled using an innovative sigmoidal pattern with amazingly meaningful parameters. Such theoretical models for catalyst life significantly facilitate the control of reactors during petrochemical industrial applications, where a constant reactor product flow rate is necessary. Five types of statistics were used to validate the goodness of the regression model. The results showed that the sigmoid model perfectly predicts the activity of the whole catalyst life for a wide range types of catalyst which is capable of being utilized as an important part of a reaction rate. For process conditions within the range of T=220–230 0C, P=20 bar, and H2/CO ratio=2, the two important constants of the model average 0.6 ± 0.1 and 0.42 ± 0.06 for steady-state activity and total loss of activity, respectively. The proposed model offers a significant advance over the existing macroscopic deactivation models, since different catalyst deactivation trends can be covered.

Cryogenic system for precise calibration of temperature sensors

A calibration technique for cryogenic temperature sensors is proposed and implemented. The experimental setup is based on the helium cryogenerator, providing calibration of the temperature sensors of various types in wide temperature range, including cryogenic band (25-100K). A condensation thermometer with hydrogen, neon, argon and xenon as working gases is used as a reference sensor. The experimental setup was successfully used for precise (0.1K precision) calibration of platinum resistive temperature detectors (Pt-100) for international nuclear physics experiments MuSun and PolFusion. The setup can also be used for calibration of temperature sensors of the other types.

ENERGY ANALYSIS OF WALL MATERIALS USING BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN THE TROPICAL CLIMATE COUNTRIES

During the previous two decades, the energy saving potential using systematic building management is considered to be important which should be considered through the building lifecycle. Among the wide range types of different buildings, Public buildings are considered as one of the biggest energy-consuming sector in the world and major part of this amount is used by the air conditioning system especially in tropical climates. The most effective decisions related to sustainable design of a building facility are made in the feasibility and early design stages. Building Information Modeling (BIM) can expedite this process and provide the opportunity of testing and assessing different design alternatives and materials selection that may impact on energy performance of buildings. This paper aims at evaluating the efficiency of various types of wall materials with regard to theirs properties on energy saving. The case study in this paper is modeled by means of BIM application and then simulated by software, which is appropriate for energy analysis. The current energy consumption patterns of this case identified and shifted to the optimized level of energy usages by changing the walls materials to find most optimized of walls materials. Modification most optimized wall materials and energy analysis indicated 9347 Wh in Per meter square of electrical energy saving.

Rapid DNA analysis for automated processing and interpretation of low DNA content samples.

BackgroundShort tandem repeat (STR) analysis of casework samples with low DNA content include those resulting from the transfer of epithelial cells from the skin to an object (e.g., cells on a water bottle, or brim of a cap), blood spatter stains, and small bone and tissue fragments. Low DNA content (LDC) samples are important in a wide range of settings, including disaster response teams to assist in victim identification and family reunification, military operations to identify friend or foe, criminal forensics to identify suspects and exonerate the innocent, and medical examiner and coroner offices to identify missing persons. Processing LDC samples requires experienced laboratory personnel, isolated workstations, and sophisticated equipment, requires transport time, and involves complex procedures. We present a rapid DNA analysis system designed specifically to generate STR profiles from LDC samples in field-forward settings by non-technical operators. By performing STR in the field, close to the site of collection, rapid DNA analysis has the potential to increase throughput and to provide actionable information in real time.ResultsA Low DNA Content BioChipSet (LDC BCS) was developed and manufactured by injection molding. It was designed to function in the fully integrated Accelerated Nuclear DNA Equipment (ANDE) instrument previously designed for analysis of buccal swab and other high DNA content samples (Investigative Genet. 4(1):1–15, 2013). The LDC BCS performs efficient DNA purification followed by microfluidic ultrafiltration of the purified DNA, maximizing the quantity of DNA available for subsequent amplification and electrophoretic separation and detection of amplified fragments. The system demonstrates accuracy, precision, resolution, signal strength, and peak height ratios appropriate for casework analysis.ConclusionsThe LDC rapid DNA analysis system is effective for the generation of STR profiles from a wide range of sample types. The technology broadens the range of sample types that can be processed and minimizes the time between sample collection, sample processing and analysis, and generation of actionable intelligence. The fully integrated Expert System is capable of interpreting a wide range or sample types and input DNA quantities, allowing samples to be processed and interpreted without a technical operator.

Individual snag detection using neighborhood attribute filtered airborne lidar data

The ability to estimate and monitor standing dead trees (snags) has been difficult due to their irregular and sparse distribution, often requiring intensive sampling methods to obtain statistically significant estimates. This study presents a new method for estimating and monitoring snags using neighborhood attribute filtered airborne discrete-return lidar data. The method first develops and then applies an automated filtering algorithm that utilizes three dimensional neighborhood lidar point-based intensity and density statistics to remove lidar points associated with live trees and retain lidar points associated with snags. A traditional airborne lidar individual-tree detection procedure is then applied to the snag-filtered lidar point cloud, resulting in stem map of identified snags with height estimates. The filtering algorithm was developed using training datasets comprised of four different forest types in wide range of stand conditions, and then applied to independent data to determine successful snag detection rates. Detection rates ranged from 43 to 100%, increasing as the size of snags increased. The overall detection rate for snags with DBH≥25cm was 56% (±2.9%) with low commission error rates. The method provides the ability to estimate snag density and stem map a large proportion of snags across the landscape. The resulting information can be used to analyze the spatial distribution of snags, provide a better understanding of wildlife snag use dynamics, assess achievement of stocking standard requirements, and bring more clarity to snag stocking standards.

Comparison of four light use efficiency models for estimating terrestrial gross primary production

Light use efficiency (LUE) models that with different structures (i.e., methods to address environmental stresses on LUE) have been widely used to estimate terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) because of their theoretical soundness and practical conveniences. However, a systematic validation of those models with field observations across diverse ecosystems is still lacking and whether the model can be further improved by structural optimization remains unclear. Using GPP estimates at global 51 eddy covariance flux towers that cover a wide climate range and diverse vegetation types, we evaluated the performances of the four major LUE models (i.e., Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA), Global Production Efficiency Model (GLO-PEM), Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), and Eddy Covariance-Light Use Efficiency (EC-LUE)) and examined the possible further improvement of the better-performed model(s) via model structural optimization. Our results showed that the GLO-PEM, VPM, and EC-LUE exhibited the similar capabilities in simulating GPP (explained around 68% of the total variations) and overall performed better than CASA (58%). Nevertheless, the EC-LUE and VPM were the optimal ones because they required less model inputs than the GLO-PEM. For the two optimal models, we found that the minimum method is better than the multiplication approach to integrate multiple environmental stresses on LUE. Moreover, we found that the VPM can be further improved by incorporating the constraint of water vapor deficit (VPDs). We suggested that a modified VPM by using minimum method and adding VPDs may be the best model in estimating large-scale GPP if high-quality remote sensing data available, otherwise, the modified models with the water stress reflected by VPDs only is optimal.

The application of humane slaughterhouse practices to large-scale culling

Mass culling is a strategy used inthe management of infectious disease outbreaks. The risk of disease spread due to animal transportation often precludes the use of slaughterhouses for this purpose, though they have been used on occasion. Consequently, culling takes place in the less-than-standardised environment on the farm. Regardless of where the cull occurs, the methods chosen to handle and kill the animals must preserve their welfare. This paper attempts to apply the best welfare practices from the controlled environment of the slaughterhouse to the mass culling of ruminants, pigs and poultry. It investigates the key welfare challenges and identifies astute planning executed by competent personnel as a crucial success factor. The urgency; capacity; species, type and age of the animal; personnel; and availability of equipment determine the restraint and killing methods used. The use of good on-farm restraining facilities and mobile killing devices can reasonably be expected to maintain welfare standards for ruminants and poultry. The pig's anatomy, natural behaviour, wide age range and housing types present additional challenges. Objective monitoring throughout the operation is vital for implementing immediate corrective measures whilst also informing procedural reviews. The authors suggest a monitoring tool based on a system currently used in abattoirs, but its limitations must first be validated.

Clinicopathological spectrum of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors; 20 years’ retrospective study in a developing country

BackgroundOvarian sex cord stromal tumors are rare neoplasms as compared to epithelial tumors. No large study has been done in Pakistan to find out the frequencies of various sex cord stromal tumors and their clinicopathological behavior in our region. The purpose of our study was to determine the various histological patterns and clinical features of ovarian sex cord stromal tumors along with follow-up in our set-up.MethodsIt is a retrospective observational study. The study was conducted in section of Histopathology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. All reported cases of sex cord stromal tumors of ovary during 1992 to 2012 were retrieved. The retrieved slides were reviewed and patient demographics, clinical and pathological features were noted on proforma. SPSS Statistics Version 19 was used for all analyses. Data is expressed as absolute values and percentage or as mean ± standard deviation (SD).ResultsA total of 480 cases of sex cord stromal tumors were retrieved. The median age was 45 years. Bilaterality was observed in 4 cases. Of the different subtypes of sex-cord stromal tumors, most common was adult granulosa cell tumor 211(43.9%). 24 Juvenile granulosa cell tumors were retrieved (5%). Other types were fibromas 98 (20.4%) fibrothecomas 47(9.8%), thecomas 26(5.4%), sertoli-leydig cell tumors 34(7%), sclerosing stromal tumors 26 (5.4%), steroid cell tumors (10) and 4 cases of sex cord tumor with annular tubules. Of various immunohistochemical stains applied, Inhibin was frequently positive in all subtypes and focal cytokeratins were also seen commonly. Follow up information was available in 305 cases and out of these only 16 (5%) developed recurrence or metastasis.ConclusionsSex cord stromal tumors are uncommon ovarian tumors in Pakistani population, with wide age range and diverse histological types having good prognosis. Immunohistochemical markers overlap with epithelial tumors so there is need to distinguish these two.

Anatomía foliar comparada y relaciones filogenéticas de 11 especies de Laeliinae con énfasis en Brassavola (Orchidaceae)

Brassavola inhabits a wide altitude range and habitat types from Northern Mexico to Northern Argentina. Classification schemes in plants have normally used vegetative and floral characters, but when species are very similar, as in this genus, conflicts arise in species delimitation, and alternative methods should be applied. In this study we explored the taxonomic and phylogenetic value of the anatomical structure of leaves in Brassavola; as ingroup, seven species of Brassavola were considered, and as an outgroup Guarianthe skinneri, Laelia anceps, Rhyncholaelia digbyana and Rhyncholaelia glauca were evaluated. Leaf anatomical characters were studied in freehand cross sections of the middle portion with a light microscope. Ten vegetative anatomical characters were selected and coded for the phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic reconstruction was carried out under maximum parsimony using the program NONA through WinClada. Overall, Brassavola species reveal a wide variety of anatomical characters, many of them associated with xeromorphic plants: thick cuticle, hypodermis and cells of the mesophyll with spiral thickenings in the secondary wall. Moreover, mesophyll is either homogeneous or heterogeneous, often with extravascular bundles of fibers near the epidermis at both terete and flat leaves. All vascular bundles are collateral, arranged in more than one row in the mesophyll. The phylogenetic analysis did not resolve internal relationships of the genus; we obtained a polytomy, indicating that the anatomical characters by themselves have little phylogenetic value in Brassavola. We concluded that few anatomical characters are phylogenetically important; however, they would provide more support to elucidate the phylogenetic relantionships in the Orchidaceae and other plant groups if they are used in conjunction with morphological and/or molecular characters.

An analysis of clinical risk factors of deep neck infection

Objectives To clarify the clinical risk factors that aggravate deep neck infection. Patients and methods Sixty-five patients with deep neck infection (abscess or cellulitis), 42 males and 23 females, who were treated at the ear, nose, and throat department in Iwaki Kyoritsu General Hospital in the past 10 years, were retrospectively reviewed. Cases of inflammation of the upper airway including the oral cavity, laryngopharynx, palate tonsil and salivary gland, and cases of lymphadenitis were investigated. These patients were divided into five localized types and one wide range type according to the abscess locations as follows: oral cavity floor type, upper deep cervical type, submandibular type, submental type, retropharyngeal type, and wide range type. Results Seventeen of the 65 patients had diabetes, and significantly more diabetics had the wide range type than the localized type ( P < 0.05, Fisher's test). Diabetes complication was more often seen in the upper deep cervical type among patients aged 61 years or older, and in the wide range type among males aged 41 years or older and elderly women aged 61 years or older. No patients with odontogenic infection or sialolithiasis had associated diabetes mellitus. Two cases developed mediastinitis, and one was caused by retrotonsillar abscess and needed thoracic drainage. More than half of the wide range type cases and more than a quarter of each of the localized type cases except the upper deep cervical type also had laryngeal edema, and eight of them needed emergency tracheotomy. Thirteen of the 40 cases had bacteria belonging to the Streptococcus milleri group (SMG), and all were detected in patients who underwent surgical drainage. Four of the 13 cases where SMG was detected showed drug resistance to some sorts of antibiotics. Conclusion Oral disorders can develop deep neck infection independently of the presence of diabetes mellitus, compared with other causes. The presence of diabetes mellitus is associated with deep neck infection, aggravating parotitis and wide spread of inflammation. Retrotonsillar abscess often spreads to the retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal spaces, causing mediastinitis, so caution is necessary. Infection due to SMG tends to form abscess independently of diabetes mellitus. Since more than half of the wide range type and more than a quarter of each of the localized types except the upper deep cervical type were associated with laryngeal edema, airway management should be considered.

An improved TES algorithm based on the corrected ALPHA difference spectrum

Different from visible signals, thermal infrared radiances depend on both temperature and emissivity. It is a key problem for us to separate temperature and emissivity in thermal infrared remote sensing research. Another difficulty encountered in the retrieval of surface temperature is the correction of downwelling sky irradiance, because it is closely related to surface emissivity. When emissivity is unknown, the downwelling sky irradiance is difficult to be removed. In this paper, we introduce a correction term of downwelling sky irradiance developed by Li and Becker into Wien’s approximation, to derive an improved ALPHA difference spectrum which is independent of temperature, and furthermore develop a correction term to remove the error of Wien’s approximation. Under the support of the above work, attractive features of Alpha derived emissivity method and ASTER TES algorithm are combined together to acquire a new Improved TES algorithm based on Corrected ALPHA Difference Spectrum (ICADS TES). Because a multi-band inversion technique is applied, and the operations of band ratios and differences are included in the algorithm, it can partly remove the influence of atmosphere and noises. Numerical simulation experiments show that for various combinations of atmosphere, land covers and surface temperatures, the algorithm is applicable and stable. Its accuracy for temperature is 0–1.5 K, and that for emissivity is 0–0.015. Compared with current TES algorithms, our method has clear physical meaning, is easy to be implemented, and is applicable for a wide temperature range and surface types. The results are not influenced by the directional characteristic of emissivity. Because ICADS TES does not need the support of a priori information of surface types, it is also not influenced by the accuracy of classification and the problem of mixture pixels. Compared with our former TES algorithm based on corrected Alpha difference spectra (CADS TES), the new algorithm takes the effect of downwelling atmospheric radiation into account. When the quantity of atmosphere radiation can be estimated precisely, the performance of ICADS TES is much better.

A novel microcomputer temperature-compensating method for an overtone crystal oscillator

In this paper, a novel microcomputer temperature-compensating method for an overtone crystal oscillator (MCOXO) is presented. In this method, a ceramic oscillator is chosen, and its output frequency is mixed with the output frequency of an overtone crystal oscillator. A crystal filter is used to suppress the spurious mixing products. A microcomputer is used to control the switch capacitance array that is connected to the ceramic oscillator circuit. The frequency deviation of the crystal oscillator is directly compensated by the output frequency of the ceramic oscillator. As a result, the method is able to overcome the disadvantages of frequency stability degradation and phase noise deterioration that are provoked by adding inductance or frequency multiplication in traditional compensating approaches. At the same time, this method is able to compensate a quite wide frequency range and many types of oscillators, not just crystal oscillators. The experimental compensating results show that, using this method, the frequency-temperature stability of a 100 MHz 5th overtone temperature-compensated crystal oscillator can achieve < or = +/-2 x 10(-6) for 0-70 degrees C.

Responses of diencephalic nociceptive neurones to orofacial stimuli and effects of internal capsule stimulation in the rat

The effect of conditioning stimulation of the internal capsule on nociceptive neurones in the rat diencephalon was investigated. The animals were anaesthetised with N 2O/O 2 (2:1) and 0.5% halothane, and immobilised with pancuronium bromide. Nociceptive neurones responding to noxious stimulation of the face and oral structures were recorded in the ventral posteromedial nucleus, posterior group and zona incerta. These neurones were classified into wide dynamic range and nociceptive-specific types. Functional segregation of these nociceptive neurones was not apparent within the nucleus or between nuclei. A test stimulus with a single rectangular pulse (5–70 V) was applied to the centre of the receptive field; the nociceptive neurones exhibited short- and/or long-latency responses. Both responses in about 45% of the nociceptive neurones were inhibited by conditioning stimuli to the contralateral internal capsule with trains of 33 pulses (300 μA) at 330 Hz. The percent inhibitory effects on the nociceptive neurones of each area were 68.0±14.8% ( n=6) in the ventral posteromedial nucleus, 72.8±12.4% ( n=4) in the posterior group and 61.5±7.5% ( n=4) in the zona incerta. Effective sites for conditioning stimulation were concentrated in the lateral side of the internal capsule, through which the corticofugal fibres from the somatosensory cortex pass. These findings suggest that the transmission of nociceptive information to the diencephalon is modulated by stimulation of the internal capsule at the level of the trigeminal sensory complex in the brainstem. They might provide a novel way to elucidate the neurophysiological basis for antinociception by stimulation of the internal capsule observed in clinical studies.