One-class Classification for Identifying COVID-19 in X-Ray Images

Programming and Computer Software - Coronaviruses constitute an extensive family of viruses that can be severely harmful to both animals and humans. The newest virus of this family, SARS-CoV-2, and...     

Synthesis and structure of a praseodymium (III) complex with carboxylate ligand: A thermal and spectroscopic study

One Pr(III) lanthanide ion complex was initially synthesized and characterized by TGA-DSC in air atmosphere, as well as characterized by CHN elemental analysis, defining the stoichiometric ratio as Pr(DMBz)₃. The gaseous products evolved during the thermal decomposition were also monitored in N₂ atmosphere employing TGA/FT-IR system. A crystal structure is obtained by state-of-the-art powder X-rays diffraction methods measured in conventional laboratory equipment and refined by the Rietveld method, which defined it as a monoclinic system of the space group P2₁/c with a polymeric crystal structure, [Pr(DMBz)₃]_n. FT-IR theoretical spectrum and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) were calculated from TGA-DSC and crystalline system data. The experimental and theoretical FT-IR spectra present a high correlation degree when the main stretching bands are compared, while the energy transfer (HOMO – LUMO) in their neighborhoods suggests the main contributions of the light-emitting states.     

Alignment and optical polarization of InGaAs quantum wires on GaAs high index surfaces

Highly ordered three-dimensional periodic arrays of In_0.40Ga_0.60As quantum wires (QWRs) on GaAs (311)A and GaAs (331)A have been achieved by molecular beam epitaxy and revealed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Polarization dependent photoluminescence measurements demonstrated high optical anisotropy of 40% in (331)A QWRs and 16% in (311)A QWRs. Such a difference in polarization value could be caused by the differences in geometry, ordering, and high piezoelectric field between (331)A and (311)A samples.     

Chemical, physical and spectroscopic characterization of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Del. residues and their possible recycle

Posidonia is an endemic marine plant of the Mediterranean Basin forming wide grasslands involved in the oxygenation of seawaters, fauna protection and littoral erosion prevention. Starting from September-October, leaves and part of rhizomes detach off the marine plant and reach the beaches. Onshore residues represent a great environmental, economical, social and hygienic problem in all coastal zones of Mediterranean Basin because of the great disturb to the bathers and population, and the high costs for their removal and disposal to landfill.Authors characterized the onshore residues by means of physical, chemical and spectroscopic analyses in order to propose alternative solutions to the landfill and to reutilize them in agricultural applications as well as a source of energy.Physical, chemical and spectroscopic features of posidonia residues indicated a possible utilization in agriculture in their raw state. In facts, provided a reduction in the electrical conductivity and Na content, plant residual materials may be directly used as growing media or appropriately composted with raw materials of different provenance and basically opposite characteristics. In particular, the fibrous debris showed features similar to a bulking agent, while the leaves residues closely resembled a green waste. The fibrous portion of posidonia residues can be also utilized as biofuel according to their lower heating values (LHV) ranging between 13.6 and 15.7 MJ kg⁻¹, whereas leaves debris are not so suitable for the energy recovery because their LHV were around 10 MJ kg⁻¹.     

High-power pulsed fibre source at 1567 nm

A pulsed fibre source based on an Er/Yb-codoped fibre amplifier producing 1567 nm-wavelength, spectrally narrow, /spl sim/2 ns pulses with maximum energy 303 /spl mu/J, average power of up to 12 W, and peak power in excess of 130 kW is reported.     

Design,Radiosynthesis and Preliminary Biological Evaluation in Mice of a Brain-Penetrant 18F-Labelled σ2 Receptor Ligand

The σ₂ receptor (transmembrane protein 97), which is involved in cholesterol homeostasis, is of high relevance for neoplastic processes. The upregulated expression of σ₂ receptors in cancer cells and tissue in combination with the antiproliferative potency of σ₂ receptor ligands motivates the research in the field of σ₂ receptors for the diagnosis and therapy of different types of cancer. Starting from the well described 2-(4-(1H-indol-1-yl)butyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline class of compounds, we synthesized a novel series of fluorinated derivatives bearing the F-atom at the aromatic indole/azaindole subunit. RM273 (2-[4-(6-fluoro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-1-yl)butyl]-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) was selected for labelling with ¹⁸F and evaluation regarding detection of σ₂ receptors in the brain by positron emission tomography. Initial metabolism and biodistribution studies of [¹⁸F]RM273 in healthy mice revealed promising penetration of the radioligand into the brain. Preliminary in vitro autoradiography on brain cryosections of an orthotopic rat glioblastoma model proved the potential of the radioligand to detect the upregulation of σ₂ receptors in glioblastoma cells compared to healthy brain tissue. The results indicate that the herein developed σ₂ receptor ligand [¹⁸F]RM273 has potential to assess by non-invasive molecular imaging the correlation between the availability of σ₂ receptors and properties of brain tumors such as tumor proliferation or resistance towards particular therapies.     

Robust stability and structured uncertainty bounded by the Euclidean norm

In the context of robust stability, the μ‐problem is generalized for uncertainty bounded by means of the Euclidean norm. In some cases, a weighted Euclidean norm may be preferable to the infinite norm, for example, when the deviation from the nominal parameters exhibits a Gaussian distribution, also in the case that the parameters of the system are estimated by the ellipsoid algorithm. Several polynomial‐time upper bounds for the new μ‐problem are proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comments on "Two classic behaviour modification patients: a decade later."

Comments on the article by G. G. Sherwood and J. E. Gray (see record 2007-01479-012) which followed-up on two "classic" patients treated by the current author in his original behaviour modification unit. The major point made by Sherwood and Gray can be characterized by one of their own statements, "our findings are sufficient to indicate that behaviours extinguished in a controlled environment can re-emerge in a different setting." This comment reflects what is currently one of the most important issues in the evaluation of any therapeutic approach, namely the issue of generalization. A follow-up evaluation assumes that behaviour after behavioural intervention takes places in a vacuum. That is to say, it somehow assumes that the individual is no longer in interaction with his current environment and is, therefore, impervious to change. Of course, that is not the ease. Hence, the individual's behaviour will continue to change as a function of his interaction with his current environment, and his history since the behavioural intervention. In fact, the follow-up information offered by the Sherwood and Gray suggests that the re-emergence of old behaviours is very much related to the contingencies in the patients' current situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)