Spencerzimmerman7336

Corneal surface area remained strongly correlated, and Bland-Altman analysis also showed strong inter-ocular agreement. Our results show that in patients with UHAKC the interocular difference in corneal diameter and corneal surface area is clinically insignificant, and are consistent with a redistribution, rather than increase, of corneal surface area with keratoconus progression.The application of automation techniques to water pump systems, combined with modern control techniques, has been increasing the hydraulic and energy efficiency of such systems. In this context, the objective of this work is to present an intelligent method of flow control based on Brain Emotional Learning Basic Intelligent Control (BELBIC), which will be applied to an experimental workbench of a pumping system, located in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Quality Laboratory (LEEQE) at Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). The parameters of this controller are optimized with a particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique with minimization of Integral Absolute Error (IAE). Initial tests were performed in a computational environment so that the system's performance could be pre-tested, thereby the dynamics of the system was modeled from real data generated in the process. selleck chemicals llc The experimental results were obtained through the implementation of this control system in a programmable logic controller (PLC), which was the device responsible for all the automation of the workbench previously mentioned. The data of this workbench were collected using a supervisory system exclusively developed for this work. These data were then used to analyze the performance of the proposed control system, which demonstrated that its behavior was efficient.Imaging methods have broad applications in geosciences. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT scanning have been applied for studying various geological problems. Despite significant advances in imaging capabilities, and image processing algorithms, acquiring high-quality data from images is still challenging and time-consuming. Obtaining a 3D representative volume for a tight rock sample takes days to weeks. Image artifacts such as noise further complicate the use of imaging methods for the determination of rock properties. In this study, we present applications of several convolutional neural networks (CNN) for rapid image denoising, deblurring and super-resolving digital rock images. Such an approach enables rapid imaging of larger samples, which in turn improves the statistical relevance of the subsequent analysis. We demonstrate the application of several CNNs for image restoration applicable to scientific imaging. The results show that images can be denoised without a priori knowledge of the noise with great confidence. Furthermore, we show how attaching several CNNs in an end-to-end fashion can improve the final quality of reconstruction. Our experiments with SEM and CT scan images of several rock types show image denoising, deblurring and super-resolution can be performed simultaneously.Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly lethal, and early diagnosis is challenging. Because patients who present with symptoms generally have advanced-stage diseases, analysis of asymptomatic PDAC provides invaluable information for developing strategies for early diagnosis. Here, we reviewed 577 patients with PDAC (372 diagnosed with symptoms [symptomatic group] and 205 without symptoms [asymptomatic group]) diagnosed at our institute. Among the 205 asymptomatic PDAC patients, 109 were detected during follow-up/work-up for other diseases, 61 because of new-onset or exacerbation of diabetes mellitus, and 35 in a medical check-up. Asymptomatic PDAC is characterized by smaller tumor size, earlier disease stage, and higher resectability than those of symptomatic PDAC. In 22.7% of asymptomatic cases, indirect findings, e.g., dilatation of the main pancreatic duct, triggered PDAC detection. Although pancreatic tumors were less frequently detected, overall abnormality detection rates on imaging studies were nearly 100% in asymptomatic PDAC. Asymptomatic PDAC had a better prognosis (median survival time, 881 days) than symptomatic PDAC (342 days, P  less then  0.001). In conclusion, diagnosis of PDAC in the asymptomatic stage is associated with early diagnosis and a better prognosis. Incidental detection of abnormal findings during the follow-up/work-up for other diseases provides important opportunities for early diagnosis of asymptomatic PDAC.Flooding is one of the major abiotic stresses for vegetable production in Florida. Hydroponic and pot trials were conducted with snap bean to evaluate the effects of oxygen fertilization on the biochemical and physiological status of flooded snap bean plants. There were three treatments in the hydroponic trials were (1) flooded (control), (2) bubble aeration with ambient air, and (3) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) applied at the beginning of the trial. Plant health was evaluated by determining nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake rates. The greenhouse pot trials were used to quantify the effects of three different application rates of solid oxygen fertilizers as calcium peroxide (CaO2) and magnesium peroxide (MgO2). The results showed that plant N and P uptake rates were significantly greater (p  less then  0.05) with H2O2 than without H2O2. The N uptake rates with H2O2 were like that of those with bubbling. The uptake rate of NH4+ was significantly greater than that of NO3- with the bubbling and H2O2 conditions, but the uptake rate of NO3- was significantly greater than that of NH4+ in the flooding condition. The plant height, leaf greenness, shoot biomass, and yield were all significantly greater with CaO2 or MgO2 than without either solid oxygen fertilizer. The minimum damage of flooded snap bean was found with 2 g CaO2 or 4 g MgO2 per pot. These results indicated that oxygen fertilization may potentially improve yield of flooded snap bean plants.It has been reported that patients diagnosed with COVID-19 become critically ill primarily around the time of activation of the adaptive immune response. However the role of antibodies in the worsening of disease is not obvious. Higher titers of anti-spike immunoglobulin IgG1 associated with low fucosylation of the antibody Fc tail have been associated to excessive inflammatory response. In contrast it has been also reported that NP-, S-, RBD- specific IgA, IgG, and IgM are not associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral load, indicating that there is no obvious correlation between antibody response and viral antigen detection. In the present work the micro-Fourier-transform infrared reflectance spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) was employed to investigate blood serum samples of healthy and COVID-19-ill (mild or oligosymptomatic) individuals (82 healthcare workers volunteers in "Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas", São Paulo, Brazil). The molecular-level-sensitive, multiplexing quantitative and qualitative FTIR data probed ponse of individuals with COVID-19. It would be an important tool in prospective studies, helping investigate the physiology of the asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic, or severe individuals and measure the extension of infection dissemination in patients.Smoking-associated DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures are reproducible among studies of mostly European descent, with mixed evidence if smoking accelerates epigenetic aging and its relationship to longevity. We evaluated smoking-associated DNAm signatures in the Costa Rican Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging (CRELES), including participants from the high longevity region of Nicoya. We measured genome-wide DNAm in leukocytes, tested Epigenetic Age Acceleration (EAA) from five clocks and estimates of telomere length (DNAmTL), and examined effect modification by the high longevity region. 489 participants had a mean (SD) age of 79.4 (10.8) years, and 18% were from Nicoya. Overall, 7.6% reported currently smoking, 35% were former smokers, and 57.4% never smoked. 46 CpGs and five regions (e.g. AHRR, SCARNA6/SNORD39, SNORA20, and F2RL3) were differentially methylated for current smokers. Former smokers had increased Horvath's EAA (1.69-years; 95% CI 0.72, 2.67), Hannum's EAA (0.77-years; 95% CI 0.01, 1.52), GrimAge (2.34-years; 95% CI1.66, 3.02), extrinsic EAA (1.27-years; 95% CI 0.34, 2.21), intrinsic EAA (1.03-years; 95% CI 0.12, 1.94) and shorter DNAmTL (- 0.04-kb; 95% CI - 0.08, - 0.01) relative to non-smokers. There was no evidence of effect modification among residents of Nicoya. Our findings recapitulate previously reported and novel smoking-associated DNAm changes in a Latino cohort.Bacteriophages related to phage Bp_AMP1 are the most widely spread group of phages infecting Burkholderia pseudomallei-the causative agent of melioidosis. These viruses are also infective against the nonpathogenic host Burkholderia thailandensis, allowing experimental work with them without any special safety precautions. The indirect data as well as the results of the mathematical modelling suggest that the AMP1-like viruses may act as natural biocontrol agents influencing the population levels of B. pseudomallei in soil and water habitats in endemic regions. The cold sensitivity of the lytic growth (CSg) of these phages was suggested to be an important feature modulating the effect of viral infection on host populations in nature. We performed genetic analysis to determine the molecular background of the CSg phenotype of the AMP1 phage. The results indicate that CSg is not due to the lack of any function or product missing at low temperature (25 °C) but results in growth inhibition by a phage-encoded temperature-sensitive genetic switch. We identified phage ORF3 and ORF14 to be involved in the genetic determination of this mechanism.In this largest to-date genetic analysis of anti-drug antibody (ADA) response to a therapeutic monoclonal antibody (MAb), genome-wide association was performed for five measures of ADA status among 8844 individuals randomized to bococizumab, which targets PCSK9 for LDL-C lowering and cardiovascular protection. Index associations prioritized specific amino acid substitutions at the DRB1 and DQB1 MHC class II genes rather than canonical haplotypes. Two clusters of missense variants at DRB1 were associated with general ADA measures (residues 9, 11, 13; and 96, 112, 120, 180) and a third cluster of missense variants in DQB1 was associated with ADA measures including neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers (residues 66, 67, 71, 74, 75). The structural disposition of the missense substitutions implicates peptide antigen binding and CD4 effector function, mechanisms that are potentially generalizable to other therapeutic mAbs.Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01968954, NCT01968967, NCT01968980, NCT01975376, NCT01975389, NCT02100514.Improving indoor lighting conditions at the workplace has the potential to support proper circadian entrainment of hormonal rhythms, sleep, and well-being. We tested the effects of optimized dynamic daylight and electric lighting on circadian phase of melatonin, cortisol and skin temperatures in office workers. We equipped one office room with an automated controller for blinds and electric lighting, optimized for dynamic lighting (= Test room), and a second room without any automated control (= Reference room). Young healthy participants (n = 34) spent five consecutive workdays in each room, where individual light exposure data, skin temperatures and saliva samples for melatonin and cortisol assessments were collected. Vertical illuminance in the Test room was 1177 ± 562 photopic lux (mean  ± SD) , which was 320 lux higher than in the Reference room (p  less then  0.01). Melanopic equivalent daylight (D65) illuminance was 931 ± 484 melanopic lux in the Test room and 730 ± 390 melanopic lux in the Reference room (p  less then  0.