Fluorescent protein tomography scanner for small animal imaging

Microscopy of fluorescent proteins has enabled unprecedented insights into visualizing gene expression in living systems. Imaging deeper into animals, however, has been limited due to the lack of accurate imaging methods for the visible. We present a novel system designed to perform tomographic imaging of fluorescent proteins through whole animals. The tomographic method employed a multiangle, multiprojection illumination scheme, while detection was achieved using a highly sensitive charge-coupled device camera with appropriate filters. Light propagation was modeled using a modified solution to the diffusion equation to account for the high absorption and high scattering of tissue at the visible wavelengths. We show that the technique can quantitatively detect fluorescence with sub millimeter spatial resolution both in phantoms and in tissues. We conclude that the method could be applied in tomographic imaging of fluorescent proteins for in vivo targeting of different diseases and abnormalities.     

Influence of the type of forage supplied to ewes in pre- and post-partum periods on the meat fatty acids of suckling lambs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of forage diets (grazing vs. hay) around the time of ewe parturition, on the fatty acids profile of suckling lamb meat (10-12 kg body weight). Forty-eight multiparous single-bearing ewes were used. The experimental treatments were conducted during the last 5 weeks of pregnancy and the 5 weeks of lactation in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Ewes were fed ad libitum on pastures or hay in the autumn. Results showed that milk from grazing ewes during the pre-partum period had a higher content of PUFA and CLA (P < 0.05) and VA, CLA in their suckling lambs' meat (P < 0.05). The effect in post-partum feeding was greater, revealing higher CLA, PUFA/SFA, PUFA n-3 and PUFA n-6/n-3 in milk and meat (P < 0.05). The CLA, VA and PUFA n-6/n-3 ratios are those that are most affected by grazing. Pre-partum grazing, regardless of post-partum feeding, improves FA composition, increasing CLA content in both milk and meat.     

Lucerne grazing compared with concentrate-feeding slightly modifies carcase and meat quality of young bulls

Carcase and meat quality of young bulls raised on one of three fattening strategies from 224 to 450 kg were compared. One group was fed concentrates (CON), another group grazed on lucerne plus 1.8 kg DM barley/day (LUC) and the last group had the same management as LUC young bulls for 3 months and was then finished on concentrates for 2 months. Among carcase traits, only tissue composition differed, with LUC young bulls having more muscle and less subcutaneous and intermuscular fat than their counterparts. Concerning meat quality, most attributes did not differ among fattening strategies but LUC young bulls had the lowest intramuscular fat, which presented greatest n−3 PUFA content. It can be concluded that lucerne grazing can be a good alternative to concentrates for young bulls, with similar carcase and meat quality but with lower fat content and healthier fatty acid composition than young bulls fed concentrates during the finishing period.     

Simultaneous automatic measurement of salt and water fluxes through a charged membrane

A feedback controlled system is proposed which maintains constant concentrations of solutions on both sides of a membrane. The constancy is obtained by feeding each half cell with amounts of suitable adjusting solutions. Both salt flux, J_s and water flux, J_w are deduced from addition rates. It is of special interest that the system allows simultaneous measurement of both fluxes, in absolutely controlled steady state condtions.The system is analyzed on the basis of the methods of automatics. The reliability of the controlling device has been tested by comparing the value indicated for known fluxes imposed through capillaries simulating a membrane.Date are given for a sulfonated polyethylene cation exchange membrane.     

Modulus of elasticity of I-214 young poplar wood from standing trees to sawn timber: influence of the age and stand density

The poplar wood industry chain from planted forests takes a strategic position for the creation of a competitive, profitable, and highly technological bioeconomy in the world. Niche sectors such as buildings can find in poplar wood an effective ally to reduce its carbon footprint and ecological backpack. For the poplar wood, it is important to understand the huge significance of the proper silvicultural management of a plantation and to characterize the raw material. In this context, this paper carries out such characterization for the particular case of young plantations of the clone I-214 (Populus × euroamericana (Dode) Guinier), commonly used for its high growth rate. The acoustic non-destructive characterization of poplar wood is carried out from standing trees, logs and sawn timber and then compared with the one obtained through destructive mechanical tests. The study shows that growth parameters are highly affected by the age and moderately affected by stand density, while mechanical properties are strongly affected by the age and less affected by the stand density. The study also shows high values of the linear regression coefficients between the mechanical properties obtained on standing trees, logs, and sawn timber using non-destructive and destructive methods (R²?=?0.7 for all three cases), greater than those obtained for other species. A good linear fitting was obtained between the tree and log velocities (R²?=?0.76) and between the tree and log elastic moduli (R²?=?0.85). Consequently, the evaluation of the mechanical properties employing the optimized acoustic protocol provides a reliable characterization for the poplar wood.

     

VIAN: A Visual Annotation Tool for Film Analysis

While color plays a fundamental role in film design and production, existing solutions for film analysis in the digital humanities address perceptual and spatial color information only tangentially. We introduce VIAN, a visual film annotation system centered on the semantic aspects of film color analysis. The tool enables expert‐assessed labeling, curation, visualization and Classification of color features based on their perceived context and aesthetic quality. It is the first of its kind that incorporates foreground‐background information made possible by modern deep learning segmentation methods. The proposed tool seamlessly integrates a multimedia data management system, so that films can undergo a full color‐oriented analysis pipeline.     

A parallel Monte Carlo search algorithm for the conformational analysis of polypeptides

In recent years several approaches have been proposed to overcome the multiple-minima problem associated with nonlinear optimization techniques used in the analysis of molecular conformations. One such technique based on a parallel Monte Carlo search algorithm is analyzed. Experiments on the Intel iPSC/2 confirm that the attainable parallelism is limited by the underlying acceptance rate in the Monte Carlo search. It is proposed that optimal performance can be achieved in combination with vector processing. Tests on both the IBM 3090 and Intel iPSC/2-VX indicate that vector performance is related to molecule size and vector pipeline latency.     

A constant-time dynamic storage allocator for real-time systems

Dynamic memory allocation has been used for decades. However, it has seldom been used in real-time systems since the worst case of spatial and temporal requirements for allocation and deallocation operations is either unbounded or bounded but with a very large bound. In this paper, a new allocator called TLSF (Two Level Segregated Fit) is presented. TLSF is designed and implemented to accommodate real-time constraints. The proposed allocator exhibits time-bounded behaviour, O(1), and maintains a very good execution time. This paper describes in detail the data structures and functions provided by TLSF. We also compare TLSF with a representative set of allocators regarding their temporal cost and fragmentation. Although the paper is mainly focused on timing analysis, a brief study and comparative analysis of fragmentation incurred by the allocators has been also included in order to provide a global view of the behaviour of the allocators. The temporal and spatial results showed that TLSF is also a fast allocator and produces a fragmentation close to that caused by the best existing allocators.