Search results for " sample"
showing 10 items of 456 documents
Global distributions of diazotrophs nitrogen fixation rates - Depth integrated values computed from a collection of source datasets - Contribution to…
2013
The MAREDAT atlas covers 11 types of plankton, ranging in size from bacteria to jellyfish. Together, these plankton groups determine the health and productivity of the global ocean and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Working within a uniform and consistent spatial and depth grid (map) of the global ocean, the researchers compiled thousands and tens of thousands of data points to identify regions of plankton abundance and scarcity as well as areas of data abundance and scarcity. At many of the grid points, the MAREDAT team accomplished the difficult conversion from abundance (numbers of organisms) to biomass (carbon mass of organisms). The MAREDAT atlas provides an unprecedente…
The Rise and Fall of Humanitarian Citizen Initiatives: A Simulation-Based Approach
2020
Citizen Initiatives for Global Solidarity (CIGS) are small, ad hoc, volunteer organizations that arise in certain humanitarian and development contexts. They operate outside of traditional aid structures and may or may not cooperate with traditional government and nongovernmental organizations. Using agent-based modeling, we derive narrative-based, qualitative scenarios from simulation data to extend the theoretical discussions of CIGS as a phenomenon. The scenarios allow further discussion of the role that CIGS may play as development and humanitarian response actors outside of the traditional context-specific descriptions of CIGS that permeate the development literature. We find that scen…
Incremental Gaussian Discriminant Analysis based on Graybill and Deal weighted combination of estimators for brain tumour diagnosis
2011
In the last decade, machine learning (ML) techniques have been used for developing classifiers for automatic brain tumour diagnosis. However, the development of these ML models rely on a unique training set and learning stops once this set has been processed. Training these classifiers requires a representative amount of data, but the gathering, preprocess, and validation of samples is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, for a classical, non-incremental approach to ML, it is necessary to wait long enough to collect all the required data. In contrast, an incremental learning approach may allow us to build an initial classifier with a smaller number of samples and update it incrementally…
HPTLC Phenolic Profiles as Useful Tools for the Authentication of Honey
2018
The present study reveals the utility of high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) fingerprinting of phenolic constituents for the authentication of monofloral honeys. The obtained data enables a more complete assessment of honey quality and the identification of emerging threats to honey quality. The developed procedure facilitates differentiation of varietal honeys and detection of honey adulterations. We used an HPTLC fingerprint analysis to determine the characteristic patterns of different honey types (willow, buckwheat, heather, pine honeydew, and manuka honey). The HPTLC chromatograms were used to determine the differences in the botanical origin of the honey samples on the…
Disability, Health-Related Quality of Life and Mortality in Lumbar Spine Fusion Patients—A 5-Year Follow-Up and Comparison With a Population Sample
2020
Study Design: Prospective follow-up study. Objectives: We aimed to assess the effect of lumbar spine fusion (LSF) on disability, health-related quality of life and mortality in a 5-year follow-up, and to compare these results with the general population. Methods: 523 consecutive LSF operations were included in a prospective follow-up. Disability was assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and HRQoL by the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) questionnaire using the physical and mental summary scores (PCS and MCS). The patients were compared with an age-, sex-, and residential area matched general population cohort. Results: The preoperative ODI in the patients was 46 (SD 16), and the change …
The Impact of Candle Burning During All Saints’ Day Ceremonies on Ambient Alkyl-Substituted Benzene Concentrations
2013
Research findings concerning benzene, toluene, ethylobenzene, meta-, para- and ortho-xylene as well as styrene (BTEXS) emission at public cemeteries during All Saints’ Day are presented here. Tests were carried out at town-located cemeteries in Opole and Grodków (southern Poland) and, as a benchmark, at the centres of those same towns. The purpose of the study was to estimate BTEXS emissions caused by the candle burning and, equally important to examine, whether emissions generated by the tested sources were similar to the BTEXS emissions generated by road transport. During the festive period, significant increases in benzene concentrations, by 200 % and 144 %, were noted at the cemeteries …
Sensitive Screening of New Psychoactive Substances in Serum Using Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
2021
Abstract Analysis of new psychoactive substances (NPS) still poses a challenge for many institutions due to the number of available substances and the constantly changing drug market. Both new and well-known substances keep appearing and disappearing on the market, making it hard to adapt analytical methods in a timely manner. In this study we developed a qualitative screening approach for serum samples by means of liquid chromatography--quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Samples were measured in data-dependent auto tandem mass spectrometry mode and identified by fragment spectra comparison, retention time and accurate mass. Approximately 500 NPS, including 195 synthetic cannabino…
Molecular approach for the characterization of ancient /degraded Cyperus sp.specimens
2013
The aim of this work has been to apply and improve the efficiency of molecular tools for the identification of Cyperus sp. from difTerent sources. Total DNA was extracted from fresh, degraded and ancient specimens. DNA molecules were the template for in vitro amplification of specific target regions referred to rcbL plastid gene (ribulose-l,5 -biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit). Dedicated DNA extraction and amplification protocols have been applied specifically for fresh/degraded and ancient samples. Particularly, specific set of primer, annealing temperatures and reaction mixtures have been performed. The PCR products, single DNA fragments, were resolved on agarose gel electr…
Propiedades psicométricas del Inventario Breve de Síntomas-18 en una muestra heterogénea de pacientes de cáncer adulto
2019
espanolResumen El Inventario Breve de Sintomas-18 (BSI-18) es un instrumento de cribado ampliamente utilizado para evaluar distres emocional (GSI) y tres tipos de sintomas: ansiedad, depresion, y somatizacion. Este trabajo estudia la estructura factorial del BSI-18, utilizando analisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC), su fiabilidad y validez convergente, asi como su invarianza factorial a traves del sexo. Una muestra de 1183 pacientes de cancer completo el BSI 18 y la lista de problemas de la NCCN. Los modelos jerarquicos de tres y cuatro factores proporcionaron ajustes adecuados y similares. Sin embargo, el modelo de tres factores (propuesta teorica) fue seleccionado por razones metodologica…
Functional C1-inhibitor diagnostics in hereditary angioedema: Assay evaluation and recommendations
2008
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of potentially life-threatening angioedema. The most widespread underlying genetic deficiency is a heterozygous deficiency of the serine protease inhibitor Cl esterase inhibitor (C1-Inh). In addition to low C4 levels, the most important laboratory parameter for correct diagnosis of HAE or angioedema due to acquired C1-Inh deficiency is reduced C1-Inh function (fC1-Inh). No direct recommendations about the assays for fC1-Inh or sample handling conditions are available, although this would prove especially useful when a laboratory first starts to offer assays on fC1-Inh for HAE diagnosis. In the p…