Search results for "REGIONS"
showing 10 items of 1521 documents
Factors Behind Junk DNA in Bacteria
2012
Although bacterial genomes have been traditionally viewed as being very compact, with relatively low amounts of repetitive and non-coding DNA, this view has dramatically changed in recent years. The increase of available complete bacterial genomes has revealed that many species present abundant repetitive DNA (i.e., insertion sequences, prophages or paralogous genes) and that many of these sequences are not functional but can have evolutionary consequences as concerns the adaptation to specialized host-related ecological niches. Comparative genomics analyses with close relatives that live in non-specialized environments reveal the nature and fate of this bacterial junk DNA. In addition, the…
Tactile input of the hand and the control of reaching to grasp movements
1997
The role of tactile information of the hand in the control of reaching to grasp movements was investigated. The kinematics of both reaching (or transport) and grasp components were studied in healthy subjects in two experimental conditions. In one condition (control condition) subjects were required to reach and grasp an object that could have two sizes and that could be located at two distances from the viewer. In the other condition (anaesthesia condition) the same movements were executed, but anaesthesia was provided to the subjects' fingertips. In both conditions vision of the hand was prevented during movement. Anaesthesia affected mainly the kinematics of the first phase of grasping, …
A New Myohaptic Device to Assess Wrist Function in the Lab and in the Clinic – The Wristalyzer
2008
Wristalyzer is a portable robotic device combining haptic technology with electromyographic assessment. It allows to assess wrist motion in physiological and pathological conditions by applying loads and mechanical oscillations, taking into account the ergonomy and the angular positioning of the joints. The wristalyzer works in a free or loaded mode for assessment of metrics of motion and tremor, analyzes the behavior of the wrist joints and the associated muscle activities during delivery of mechanical oscillations, estimates the maximal voluntary contraction, assesses automatically the impedance of the wrist for assessment of rigidity or spasticity. Position, torques and electromyographic…
An Unsupervised Method for Suspicious Regions Detection in Mammogram Images
2015
Over the past years many researchers proposed biomedical imaging methods for computer-aided detection and classification of suspicious regions in mammograms. Mammogram interpretation is performed by radiologists by visual inspection. The large volume of mammograms to be analyzed makes such readings labour intensive and often inaccurate. For this purpose, in this paper we propose a new unsupervised method to automatically detect suspicious regions in mammogram images. The method consists mainly of two steps: preprocessing; feature extraction and selection. Preprocessing steps allow to separate background region from the breast profile region. In greater detail, gray levels mapping transform …
Biomechanical analysis of two types of osseointegrated transfemoral prosthesis
2020
In the last two decades, osseointegrated prostheses have been shown to be a good alternative for lower limb amputees experiencing complications in using a traditional socket-type prosthesis
Chemisorption of a molecular oxygen on the UN(001) surface: Ab initio calculations
2010
The results of DFT GGA calculations on oxygen molecules adsorbed upon the (0 0 1) surface of uranium mononitride (UN) are presented and discussed. We demonstrate that O2 molecules oriented parallel to the substrate can dissociate either (i) spontaneously when the molecular center lies above the surface hollow site or atop N ion, (ii) with the activation barrier when a molecule sits atop the surface U ion. This explains fast UN oxidation in air.
Burning of Logged Sites to Protect Beetles in Managed Boreal Forests
2007
: Natural disturbance–based management and conservation strategies are needed to protect forest biodiversity. Boreal forests of northern Europe are typically clearcut and otherwise intensively managed for timber production. As a result, natural disturbances such as forest fires have became rare and the volume of dead wood has decreased. These changes have had a profound negative effect on species that depend on dead wood (saproxylic). Therefore, it is important to determine whether modifications of forest management methods can enhance the survival of these species. In our study area in southern Finland, we determined whether burning of logged sites and leaving trees (i.e., retention trees)…
Ecological Efficiency of Voluntary Conservation of Boreal-Forest Biodiversity
2008
Current networks of protected areas are biased in many countries toward landscapes of low productivity. Voluntary conservation incentives have been suggested as a socially acceptable way to supplement existing networks with more productive, privately owned areas of high priority for nature conservation. The limited resources committed to nature conservation demand cost-efficiency. Efficiency, however, depends not only on costs incurred to society from alternative ways of maintaining biodiversity but also on ecological values that can be captured. We examined the ecological efficiency of the new market-based voluntary program to preserve forest habitats on private land in southwestern Finlan…
Estimates, trends, and drivers of the global burden of type 2 diabetes attributable to PM2·5 air pollution, 1990–2019: an analysis of data from the G…
2022
Background: Experimental and epidemiological studies indicate an association between exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In view of the high and increasing prevalence of diabetes, we aimed to quantify the burden of type 2 diabetes attributable to PM2·5 originating from ambient and household air pollution.Methods: We systematically compiled all relevant cohort and case-control studies assessing the effect of exposure to household and ambient fine particulate matter (PM2·5) air pollution on type 2 diabetes incidence and mortality. We derived an exposure–response curve from the extracted relative risk estimates using the MR-BRT (meta-regress…
The School Programme: A Key Link between Contextual Influence and School Development
2018
ABSTRACTThis paper is designed to contribute to the discussion on how to conceptualise and study contextual influence in local school development. We propose a theoretical framework and an empirical illustration to supplement former research on rural school research. Focusing on what the school perceives as important in its community may explain why schools are different, based on the concept that the place where the school is located has its own expectation structures. This interaction between school and place creates the concept of the school programme, representing the role of teacher expectations within the school and the teachers’ encounter with the expectation structures of the specif…