146 research outputs found
Using AI to decode the behavioral responses of an insect to chemical stimuli: towards machine-animal computational technologies
No full textOrthoptera are insects with excellent olfactory sense abilities due to their antennae richly equipped with receptors. This
makes them interesting model organisms to be used as biosensors for environmental and agricultural monitoring. Herein,
we investigated if the house cricket Acheta domesticus can be used to detect different chemical cues by examining the movements
of their antennae and attempting to identify specific antennal displays associated to different chemical cues exposed
(e.g., sucrose or ammonia powder). A neural network based on state-of-the-art techniques (i.e., SLEAP) for pose estimation
was built to identify the proximal and distal ends of the antennae. The network was optimised via grid search, resulting in a
mean Average Precision (mAP) of 83.74%. To classify the stimulus type, another network was employed to take in a series
of keypoint sequences, and output the stimulus classification. To find the best one-dimensional convolutional and recurrent
neural networks, a genetic algorithm-based optimisation method was used. These networks were validated with iterated
K-fold validation, obtaining an average accuracy of 45.33% for the former and 44% for the latter. Notably, we published and
introduced the first dataset on cricket recordings that relate this animal’s behaviour to chemical stimuli. Overall, this study
proposes a novel and simple automated method that can be extended to other animals for the creation of Biohybrid Intelligent
Sensing Systems (e.g., automated video-analysis of an organism’s behaviour) to be exploited in various ecological scenarios
Le varianti di genere e la loro iscrizione nell'orizzonte del sapere medico-scientifico: la varianza di genere è un disturbo mentale? Ma cos'è, poi, un disturbo mentale?
No full textConsecutive real quadratic fields with large class numbers
No full textFor a given positive integer , we prove that there are at least
integers such that the real quadratic fields have class numbers essentially as
large as possible.Comment: 7 pages; strengthened the results and added a co-author; comments are
welcome
A huge Morgagni hernia with compression of the right ventricle
No full textA 21 year old male with no relevant medical history presented to our Institution for further assessments of a right paracardiac mass founded on a chest X-ray. Chest computed tomography revealed a wide median defect of the diaphragm at the level of xiphoid process of the sternum, with the herniation of omental fat tissue in the mediastinum. Cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed the presence of a huge hernia originating from the foramen of Morgagni (sterno-costal hiatus), displacing the heart leftwards and posteriorly and compressing the right ventricle (RV), giving to it a tubular shape.The signal characteristics were typical of fat tissue, with hyperintense signal in T1 and T2 weighted black blood images and homogeneus signal suppression on STIR T2 black blood images. Short axis real time cine images, performed during deep inspiration, showed an early diastolic ventricular septal bounce, with flattening of the interventricular septum during mid-late diastole: they represented signs of diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle, resembling a sort of “pseudo-constrictive” pathophysiological model. The patient was thus referred to surgical repair of the diaphragmatic defect. Keywords: Morgagni hernia, Heart compression, Diastolic dysfunction, Cardiac magnetic resonance, Computed tomograph
The era of interventional imaging has arrived: what role for computed tomography and magnetic resonance?
No full textCoronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is the first-line investigation test to 'rule out' significant coronary artery disease in low-risk patients. By performing blood flow simulations using computational fluid dynamics, it is possible to derive fractional flow reserve (FFR) from CCTA (FFRCT) images. Coronary computed tomography angiography and FFRCT are now utilized in higher-risk patients to choose the revascularization mode. Furthermore, new applications of CCTA and FFRCT include a planning tool for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which allows the cardiologist to assess lesion-specific ischaemia, plan stent locations and sizes, and use virtual remodelling of the lumen (virtual stenting) to assess the functional impact of PCI. Moreover, CCTA can assist in planning surgical and percutaneous revascularization by determining the disease complexity, vessel size, lesion length, and tissue composition of the atherosclerotic plaque, as well as the best fluoroscopic viewing angle; it may also help in selecting adjunctive percutaneous devices (e.g. rotational atherectomy) and in determining the best landing zone for stents or bypass grafts. Coronary computed tomography angiography has become also the gold standard for pre-procedural annular assessment, device sizing, risk determination of annular injury, coronary occlusion or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, calcification visualization and quantification of the target structure, and prediction of a co-planar fluoroscopic angulation for transcatheter interventions in patients with structural heart disease. Coronary computed tomography angiography and cardiac magnetic resonance could be used also in electrophysiology procedures of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias ablation (imaging during clinical evaluation and pre-procedural evaluation and intra-procedural live integration). The era of interventional imaging has arrived, and it is based on the cooperation of different figures with specific competences (cardio-imagers, electrophysiologists, cardiac surgeons, and invasive cardiologists)
Capital market imperfections before and after financial liberalization : a Euler Equation approach to panel data for Ecuadorian firms
No full textUsing a large set of panel data for Ecuadorian firms, the authors analyze the role of capital market imperfections in investment decisions and investigate whether the financial reforms introduced in the 1980s in Ecuador succeeded in relaxing financial constraints. To facilitate capital accumulation and growth, the Ecuadorian government removed administrative controls on the interest rate and eliminated or scaled down directed credit programs. The model used here allows both for an increasing cost of borrowing, as the degree of leverage increases, and for a ceiling on leverage. The econometric results suggest that both types of capital market imperfections are important for small and young firms, but not for large and old firms. Moreover, the estimated equations do not provide evidence that financial reform in Ecuador has helped to relax these financial constraints.Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Financial Intermediation
Chironomus rishii Trivinho-Strixino & Silva 2018, sp. n.
No full textChironomus rishii sp. n. (Figs 1–3) Type examined. Holotype male with pupal and larval exuviae, BRAZIL: São Paulo, São Carlos, Fazzari Reservoir, iii/2014, H.H.L. Saulino (B2–36, LEIA-UFSCar). 6 Paratypes: 1 male as holotype except for 20.vi.2013 (B2–37, LEIA-UFSCar). 1 male with pupal and larval exuviae as holotype except for 24.vi.2013 (B2–38, LEIA-UFSCar). 1 female with pupal and larval exuviae as holotype except for 26.iii.2014 (B2–39, LEIA-UFSCar). 1 larva as holotype except for 26.iii.2014 (B2–40, LEIA-UFSCar). 1 larva as holotype except. v.2015 (B2–41, LEIA- UFSCar). 1 larva as holotype except for Canchin Reservoir, 1995, S. Trivinho-Strixino (B2–42, LEIA-UFSCar). Etymology. Named in honor of Rishi Sidhu, friend of the second author, in recognition of his friendship, kindness and continuous support. Diagnostic characters. Chironomus rishii sp. n. differs from other Neotropical Chironomus species by the combination of the following characters. Adult male: Scutal tubercle prominent. Hypopygium with narrow, elongated and strongly hooked superior volsella, basal lobe with 4 long setae. Pupa: Indistinguishable from most of the described Neotropical species. Larva: Mentum with deeply incised trifid median tooth and 7 pairs of lateral teeth. Lateral and ventral tubules absent.Published as part of Trivinho-Strixino, Susana & Silva, Fabio Laurindo Da, 2018, Chironomus rishii sp. n., an enigmatic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae: Chironominae) from Neotropical region, pp. 439-446 in Zootaxa 4504 (3) on page 440, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/260654
Endovascular Low-Pass Filter
No full textWe present the case of an 82-year-old man with a history of inferior vena cava filter implantation and concomitant severe mitral regurgitation requiring transcatheter edge-to-edge repair. Despite being deemed ineligible for transfemoral access as technically challenging, he successfully underwent mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair after crossing and dilatation of the inferior vena cava filter. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)
Multimodality imaging approach to paradoxical embolism: a cauliflower mass on the Eustachian valve
No full textThe Eustachian valve was first described by Bartolomeo
Eustachio (Italian anatomist) at 1552. It is an embryological remnant of the inferior vena cava valve that prenatally directs the oxygenated blood from inferior vena cava
across the patent foramen ovale (PFO) into systemic
circulation. Generally, following birth, after the closure
of the foramen ovale it gradually regresses and not have a
specific function, but it may persist in some patients as a
floating membrane in the right atrium (RA), a nonpathological functionless structure.1 The prevalence of
Eustachian valve in the normal population is unknown.
Generally, it is an incidental finding without any significant pathophysiological consequences, but in some particular cases, unfortunately, it can become the site of
thrombus formation and paradoxical embolic source.1
In our case report we describe a particular case of paradoxical systemic embolism due to a giant cauliflower
thrombus on Eustachian valve, which caused ischemic
stroke, pulmonary embolism and splenic infarctio
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