Changes of concave and convex rib-vertebral angle, angle difference and angle ratio in patients with right thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

The aim of this study is to describe the radiological changes in rib-vertebral angles (RVAs), rib-vertebral angle differences (RVADs), and rib-vertebral angle ratios (RVARas) in patients with untreated right thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and to compare with the normal subjects. The concave and convex RVA from T1 to T12, the RVADs and the RVARas were measured on AP digital radiographs of 44 female patients with right convex idiopathic scoliosis and 14 normal females. Patients were divided into three groups: normal subjects (group 1), scoliotic patients with Cobb's angle equal or <30° (group 2) and scoliotic patients with Cobb's angle over 30° (group 3). Overall values (mean±SD) of the RVAs on the concave side were 90.5°±17° in group 1, 90.3°±15.8° in group 2 and 88.8°±15.4° in group 3. On the convex side, values were 90.0°±17.3° in group 1, 86.3°±13.7° in group 2 and 80.7°±14.4° in group 3. Overall values (mean±SD) of the RVADs at all levels were 0.5°±0.7° in group 1, 4.0°±4.8° in group 2 and 8.0°±4.0° in group 3. The RVARa values (mean±SD) at all levels was 1.008°±0.012° in group 1, 1.041°±0.061° in group 2 and 1.102°±0.151° in group 3. RVAD and RVARa values in the scoliotic segment were greater in patients with untreated scoliosis over 30° than in patients with an untreated deformity of <30° or normal subjects. A significant effect between groups was observed for the RVA, RVAD and RVARa variables. Measurement of RVA, RVAD and RVARa should not only be performed at and around the apex of a thoracic spinal deformity, but also extended to the whole thoracic spin

First light for avian embryos: eggshell thickness and pigmentation mediate variation in development and UV exposure in wild bird eggs

Article first published online: 29 JUL 20141. The avian embryo's development is influenced by both the amount and the wavelength of the light that passes through the eggshell. Commercial poultry breeders use light of specific wavelengths to accelerate embryonic growth, yet the effects of the variably patterned eggshells of wild bird species on light transmission and embryonic development remain largely unexplored. 2. Here, we provide the first comparative phylogenetic analysis of light transmission, through a diverse range of bird eggshells (74 British breeding species), in relation to the eggshell's thickness, permeability, pigment concentration and surface reflectance spectrum (colour). 3. The percentage of light transmitted through the eggshell was measured in the spectral range 250–700 nm. Our quantitative analyses confirm anecdotal reports that eggshells filter the light of the externally coloured shell. Specifically, we detected a positive relationship between surface eggshell reflectance (‘brightness’) and the percentage of light transmitted through the eggshell, and this relationship was strongest at wavelengths in the human-visible blue-green region of the spectra (c. 435 nm). 4. We show that less light passes through thicker eggshells with greater total pigment concentrations. By contrast, permeability (measured as water vapour conductance) did not covary significantly with light transmission. Eggs of closed-nesting species let more light pass through, compared with open nesters. 5. We postulate that greater light transmission is required to assist embryonic development under low light exposure. Importantly, this result provides an ecological explanation for the repeated evolution of immaculate, white- or pale-coloured eggshells in species nesting in enclosed spaces. 6. Finally, we detected correlative support for the solar radiation hypothesis, in that eggshells of bird species with a longer incubation period let significantly less of the potentially harmful, ultraviolet (UV) light pass through the eggshell. In summary, we demonstrate suites of avian eggshell properties, including eggshell structure and pigmentation, which are consistent with an evolutionary pressure to both enhance and protect embryonic development.Golo Maurer, Steven J. Portugal, Mark E. Hauber, Ivan Mikšík, Douglas G. D. Russell and Phillip Casse

The effects of rearing conditions on sexual traits and preferences in zebra finches

Although theory predicts that females should prefer the highest quality male, female mating preferences within populations often show pronounced variation. What causes and maintains this variation remains poorly understood. This thesis addresses the influence of rearing conditions both on female mating preferences and male advertising signals in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. It reconciles earlier apparently contradicting findings on the relative importance of visual versus acoustic signals by comparing females__ preferences across three commonly used testing contexts. It then goes on using brood size manipulations and operant conditioning tests to ask for the effects of developmental condition on sexual traits and preferences. Birds that were raised in small or large broods differed in adult morphology and physiology and adult behaviour: male advertising song and female mating preferences reflected developmental condition. Moreover, the mating behaviour of poor condition females provides the first experimental evidence of self-perceived attractiveness in animals influencing their partner choice. The results provide strong empirical support for theoretical models of state-dependent mate choice.This work was supported by the Research Council for Earth and Life Sciences (ALW, grant number 813.04.004) with financial aid from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).UBL - phd migration 201

An Experimental Test of Condition-Dependent Male and Female Mate Choice in Zebra Finches

In mating systems with social monogamy and obligatory bi-parental care, such as found in many songbird species, male and female fitness depends on the combined parental investment. Hence, both sexes should gain from choosing mates in high rather than low condition. However, theory also predicts that an individual's phenotypic quality can constrain choice, if low condition individuals cannot afford prolonged search efforts and/or face higher risk of rejection. In systems with mutual mate choice, the interaction between male and female condition should thus be a better predictor of choice than either factor in isolation. To address this prediction experimentally, we manipulated male and female condition and subsequently tested male and female mating preferences in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, a songbird species with mutual mate choice and obligatory bi-parental care. We experimentally altered phenotypic quality by manipulating the brood size in which the birds were reared. Patterns of association for high- or low-condition individuals of the opposite sex differed for male and female focal birds when tested in an 8-way choice arena. Females showed repeatable condition-assortative preferences for males matching their own rearing background. Male preferences were also repeatable, but not predicted by their own or females' rearing background. In combination with a brief review of the literature on condition-dependent mate choice in the zebra finch we discuss whether the observed sex differences and between-studies differences arise because males and females differ in context sensitivity (e.g. male-male competition suppressing male mating preferences), sampling strategies or susceptibility to rearing conditions (e.g. sex-specific effect on physiology). While a picture emerges that juvenile and current state indeed affect preferences, the development and context-dependency of mutual state-dependent mate choice warrants further study

Infrastructure of the GrImage experimental platform: the video acquisition part

GrImage (Grid and Image) is an experimental platform for the virtual reality domain. It is located at INRIA Rhône Alpes. GrImage is a test-bed dedicated to interactive applications. GrImage aggregates commodity components for high performance video acquisition, computation and graphics rendering. The video acquisition system consists of 25 cameras, connected to 12 computers. The camera placement al-lows the acquiring of a 2 m by 2 m by 2 m volume space. A typical application consists in: (1) doing an acquisition from multiple views of a human; (2) extracting the human visual hull, for instance, by using a background subtraction algorithm; and at the end (3) processing the immersion of the virtual human visual hull into a virtual world. The video acquisition system presents some interesting challenges: (1) to get the system real-time; (2) to get a high frame rate acquisition; (3) to warranty high quality images; (4) to be easy to install and to maintain. We present in this document the full description of the video acquisition system. It aims to share our knowl-edge with others similar projects, to help people working on this experimental platform to understand the sys-tem, but also to help maintain the system itself

(Semi-)automatic extraction of urban planning rules in french for better management of land artificialization

Land artificialization is a significant modern concern, as it is irreversible, diminishes agriculturally suitable land and causes environmental problems. Our project, Hérelles, aims to address this challenge by developing a framework for land artificialization management. In this framework, we associate urban planning rules in text form with clusters extracted from time series of satellite images. To achieve this, it is crucial to understand the planning rules with two key objectives: (1) to verify if the constraints derived from the rules are verifiable on satellite images and (2) to use these constraints to guide the labelling (or semantization) of clusters. The first step in this process involves the automatic extraction of rules from urban planning documents written in the French language. To solve this problem, we propose a method based on the multilabel classification of textual segments and their subsequent summarization. This method includes a special format for representing segments, in which each segment has a title and a subtitle. We then propose a cascade approach to address the hierarchy of class labels. Additionally, we develop several text augmentation techniques for French texts that can improve prediction results. Finally, we reformulate classified segments into concise text portions containing necessary elements for expert rule construction. We adapt an approach based on Abstract Meaning Representation (AMR) graphs to generate these portions in the French language and conduct a comparative analysis with ChatGPT. We experimentally demonstrate that the resulting framework correctly classifies each type of segment with more than 90% accuracy. Furthermore, our results indicate that ChatGPT outperforms the AMR-based approach, leading to a discussion of the advantages and limitations of both methods

Reliable, Efficient and Cost-Effective Electric Power Converter for Small Wind Turbines Based on AC-link Technology

Grid-tied inverter power electronics have been an Achilles heel of the small wind industry, providing opportunity for new technologies to provide lower costs, greater efficiency, and improved reliability. The small wind turbine market is also moving towards the 50-100kW size range. The unique AC-link power conversion technology provides efficiency, reliability, and power quality advantages over existing technologies, and Princeton Power will adapt prototype designs used for industrial asynchronous motor control to a 50kW small wind turbine design

Prevention, control, and elimination of neglected diseases in the Americas: Pathways to integrated, inter-programmatic, inter-sectoral action for health and development

BACKGROUND: In the Latin America and Caribbean region over 210 million people live below the poverty line. These impoverished and marginalized populations are heavily burdened with neglected communicable diseases. These diseases continue to enact a toll, not only on families and communities, but on the economically constrained countries themselves. DISCUSSION: As national public health priorities, neglected communicable diseases typically maintain a low profile and are often left out when public health agendas are formulated. While many of the neglected diseases do not directly cause high rates of mortality, they contribute to an enormous rate of morbidity and a drastic reduction in income for the most poverty-stricken families and communities. The persistence of this "vicious cycle" between poverty and poor health demonstrates the importance of linking the activities of the health sector with those of other sectors such as education, housing, water and sanitation, labor, public works, transportation, agriculture, industry, and economic development. SUMMARY: The purpose of this paper is three fold. First, it focuses on a need for integrated "pro-poor" approaches and policies to be developed in order to more adequately address the multi-faceted nature of neglected diseases. This represents a move away from traditional disease-centered approaches to a holistic approach that looks at the overarching causes and mechanisms that influence the health and well being of communities. The second objective of the paper outlines the need for a specific strategy for addressing these diseases and offers several programmatic entry points in the context of broad public health measures involving multiple sectors. Finally, the paper presents several current Pan American Health Organization and other institutional initiatives that already document the importance of integrated, inter-programmatic, and inter-sectoral approaches. They provide the framework for a renewed effort toward the efficient use of resources and the development of a comprehensive integrated solution to neglected communicable diseases found in the context of poverty, and tailored to the needs of local communities