Estimation of shift between signals of two ultrasound images is the key of sonoelastography. Comparison of three methods - cross-correlation function and two versions of SAD (sum of absolute differences) has been conducted for various displacements and estimation parameters using a soft tissuemimicking gelatin phantom with harder inclusion. Resulting displacement maps were evaluated by comparison of average values and their standard deviations. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This paper introduces an innovated plate anchor, increasing its bearing section area during uplift. In this experimental study, the influences of embedment depth of plate anchor and soil surface condition (restricted or free) on sand deformation field during uplift test are investigated. In order to study the soil deformation around the anchor, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used. The experimental setup consists of a camera, a new designed box, load cell, encoder and computer. During the uplift test on physical models, images are captured and used by PIV to depict the soil displacement field. Based on this study, it is found that pullout capacity and sand deformation zone are significantly influenced by anchor embedment depth. In shallow anchors, sand deformation zone lines are similar to a curve and cross the soil surface; however, in deep anchors, sand deformation zone is a bulb-shaped zone that extends from anchor to a distance of approximately two times its diameter above. Soil surface restriction increases anchor pullout capacity in shallow anchors up to 37 %, but in deep ones, there is no significant difference. Soil surface restriction changes shallow anchor behavior to deep anchors; however, it has no notable influence on deep anchors.
Increased levels of plasma cysteine predispose to obesity and metabolic disturbances. Our recent genetic analyses in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) revealed mutated Folr1 (folate receptor 1) on chromosome 1 as a quantitative trait gene associated with reduced folate levels, hypercysteinemia and metabolic disturbances. The Folr1 gene is closely linked to the Folh1 (folate hydrolase 1) gene which codes for an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of dietary polyglutamyl folates in the intestine. In the current study, we obtained evidence that Folh1 mRNA of the BN (Brown Norway) origin is weakly but significantly expressed in the small intestine. Next we analyzed the effects of the Folh1 alleles on folate and sulfur amino acid levels and consecutively on glucose and lipid metabolism using SHR-1 congenic sublines harboring either Folr1 BN and Folh1 SHR alleles or Folr1 SHR and Folh1 BN alleles. Both congenic sublines when compared to SHR controls, exhibited significantly reduced folate clearance and lower plasma cysteine and homocysteine levels which was associated with significantly decreased serum glucose and insulin concentrations and reduced adiposity. These results strongly suggest that, in addition to Folr1 , the Folh1 gene also plays an important role in folate and sulfur amino acid levels and affects glucose and lipid metabolism in the rat., J. Šilhavý, J. Krijt, J. Sokolová, V. Zídek, P. Mlejnek, M. Šimáková, V. Škop, J. Trnovská, O. Oliyarnyk, I. Marková, M. Hüttl, H. Malínská, L. Kazdová, F. Liška, V. Kožich, M. Pravenec., and Obsahuje bibliografii
By measurement of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence, the effects of salt shock on photosynthesis and the mechanisms to protect photosynthetic machinery against photodamage during salt shock were investigated in leaves of Rumex seedlings. Salt shock induced significant decrease in photosynthesis both in 21 and 2 % O2. In 21 % O2, quantum yield of photosystem 2 (PS2) electron transport (ΦPS2) decreased slightly and qP remained constant, suggesting that the excitation pressure on PS2 did not increase during salt shock. In 2 % O2, however, both ΦPS2 and qP decreased significantly, suggesting that the excitation pressure on PS2 increased during salt shock. NPQ increased slightly in 21 % O2 whereas it increased significantly in 2 % O2. The data demonstrated that during salt shock a considerable electron flow was allocated to oxygen reduction in the Mehler-peroxidase reaction (MPR). Under high irradiance and in the presence of saturating CO2, the susceptibility of PS2 to photoinhibition in salt-shocked leaves was increased when the electron flow to oxygen in MPR was inhibited in 2 % O2. Hence, MPR is important in photoprotection of Rumex seedlings during salt shock. and H.-X. Chen ... [et al.].
Etiolated sunflower cotyledons developed in complete darkness and lacking photosystem (PS) 2 were exposed to continuous 200 µmol(photon) m-2 s-1 "white light" for 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 h prior to evaluations of excitation-energy dissipation using modulated chlorophyll a fluorescence. Photochemical potential of PS2, measured as the dark-adapted quantum efficiency of PS2 (FV(M)/FM), and thermal dissipation from the antenna pigment-protein complex, measured as the Stern-Volmer non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ), increased to 12 h of irradiation. Following 12 h of irradiation, thermal dissipation from the antennae pigment-protein complex decreased while the efficiency of excitation capture by PS2 centers (F'V/F'M) and light-adapted quantum efficiency of PS2 (ΦPS2) continued to increase to 18 h of irradiation. The fraction of the oxidized state of QA, measured by the photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), remained near optimal and was not changed significantly by irradiation time. Hence during the development of maximum photochemical potential of PS2 in sunflower etioplasts, which initially lacked PS2, enhanced thermal dissipation helps limit excitation energy reaching PS2 centers. Changes of the magnitude of thermal dissipation help maintain an optimum fraction of the oxidized state of QA during the development of PS2 photochemistry. and J. G. Lebkuecher ... [et al.].
The impact of floodplain hydrology on the in-stream dissolved oxygen dynamics and the relation between dissolved oxygen and water temperature are investigated. This has been done by examining the time series of dissolved oxygen and water temperature coupled with meteorological and hydrological data obtained from two lowland rivers having contrasting hydrological settings. Spectral analysis of long-term oxygen variations in a vegetated river revealed a distinct scaling regime with slope ‘-1’ indicating a self-similar behaviour. Identical slopes were obtained for water temperature and water level. The same power-law behaviour was observed for an unvegetated river at small timescales revealing the underlying scaling behaviour of dissolved oxygen regime for different types of rivers and over various time scales. The results have shown that the oxygenation of a vegetated river is strongly related to its thermal regime and flow conditions. Moreover, analysis of short-term fluctuations in the unvegetated river demonstrated that physical factors such as rainfall and backwaters play a substantial role in the functioning of this ecosystem. Finally, the results show that the relation between water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration at the diurnal timescale exhibits a looping behaviour on the variable plot. The findings of this study provide an insight into the sensitivity of rivers to changing hydro-physical conditions and can be useful in the assessment of environmental variability.
Kohonen's self-organizing maps are a recognized tool for finding representative data vectors and clustering the data. To what extent is it possible to preserve the topology of the data in the constructed planar map? We address the question looking at distal data points located at the peripherals of the data cloud and their position in the provided map. Several data sets have been investigated; we present the results for two of them: the Glass data (dimension d=7) and the Ionosphere data (dimension d=32). It was found that the distal points are reproduced either at the edges (borders) of the map, or at the peripherals of dark regions visualized in the maps.
A graph $G$ is stratified if its vertex set is partitioned into classes, called strata. If there are $k$ strata, then $G$ is $k$-stratified. These graphs were introduced to study problems in VLSI design. The strata in a stratified graph are also referred to as color classes. For a color $X$ in a stratified graph $G$, the $X$-eccentricity $e_X(v)$ of a vertex $v$ of $G$ is the distance between $v$ and an $X$-colored vertex furthest from $v$. The minimum $X$-eccentricity among the vertices of $G$ is the $X$-radius $\mathop {\mathrm rad}\nolimits _XG$ of $G$ and the maximum $X$-eccentricity is the $X$-diameter $\mathop {\mathrm diam}\nolimits _XG$. It is shown that for every three positive integers $a, b$ and $k$ with $a \le b$, there exist a $k$-stratified graph $G$ with $\mathop {\mathrm rad}\nolimits _XG=a$ and $\mathop {\mathrm diam}\nolimits _XG=b$. The number $s_X$ denotes the minimum $X$-eccetricity among the $X$-colored vertices of $G$. It is shown that for every integer $t$ with $\mathop {\mathrm rad}\nolimits _XG \le t \le \mathop {\mathrm diam}\nolimits _XG$, there exist at least one vertex $v$ with $e_X(v)=t$; while if $\mathop {\mathrm rad}\nolimits _XG \le t \le s_X$, then there are at least two such vertices. The $X$-center $C_X(G)$ is the subgraph induced by those vertices $v$ with $e_X(v)=\mathop {\mathrm rad}\nolimits _XG$ and the $X$-periphery $P_X(G)$ is the subgraph induced by those vertices $v$ with $e_X(G)=\mathop {\mathrm diam}\nolimits _XG$. It is shown that for $k$-stratified graphs $H_1, H_2, \dots , H_k$ with colors $X_1, X_2, \dots , X_k$ and a positive integer $n$, there exists a $k$-stratified graph $G$ such that $C_{X_i}(G) \cong H_i \ (1 \le i \le k)$ and $d(C_{X_i}(G), C_{X_j}(G)) \ge n \text{for} i \ne j$. Those $k$-stratified graphs that are peripheries of $k$-stratified graphs are characterized. Other distance-related topics in stratified graphs are also discussed.
Let p′ and q′ be points in \Rn. Write p′∼q′ if p′−q′ is a multiple of (1,…,1). Two different points p and q in \Rn/∼ uniquely determine a tropical line L(p,q) passing through them and stable under small perturbations. This line is a balanced unrooted semi-labeled tree on n leaves. It is also a metric graph. If some representatives p′ and q′ of p and q are the first and second columns of some real normal idempotent order n matrix A, we prove that the tree L(p,q) is described by a matrix F, easily obtained from A. We also prove that L(p,q) is caterpillar. We prove that every vertex in L(p,q) belongs to the tropical linear segment joining p and q. A vertex, denoted pq, closest (w.r.t tropical distance) to p exists in L(p,q). Same for q. The distances between pairs of adjacent vertices in L(p,q) and the distances \dd(p,pq), \dd(qp,q) and \dd(p,q) are certain entries of the matrix |F|. In addition, if p and q are generic, then the tree L(p,q) is trivalent. The entries of F are differences (i. e., sum of principal diagonal minus sum of secondary diagonal) of order 2 minors of the first two columns of A.
Our studies in hypertensive Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) demonstrated that chronic administration of atrasentan (ETA receptor antagonist) decreased blood pressure by reduced Ca2+ influx through L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (L-VDCC) and attenuated angiotensin II-dependent vasoconstriction. We were interested whether bosentan (nonselective ETA/ETB receptor antagonist) would have similar effects. Young 4-week-old (preventive study) and adult 8-weekold (therapeutic study) heterozygous TGR and their normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley (HanSD) controls were fed normal-salt (NS, 0.6 % NaCl) or high-salt (HS, 2 % NaCl) diet for 8 weeks. An additional group of TGR fed HS was treated with bosentan (100 mg/kg/day). Bosentan had no effect on BP of TGR fed highsalt diet in both the preventive and therapeutic studies. There was no difference in the contribution of angiotensin II-dependent and sympathetic vasoconstriction in bosentan-treated TGR compared to untreated TGR under the condition of high-salt intake. However, bosentan significantly reduced NO-dependent vasodilation and nifedipine-sensitive BP component in TGR on HS diet. A highly important correlation of nifedipine-induced BP change and the BP after L-NAME administration was demonstrated. Although bosentan did not result in any blood pressure lowering effects, it substantially influenced NO-dependent vasodilation and calcium influx through L-VDCC in the heterozygous TGR fed HS diet. A significant correlation of nifedipine-induced BP change and the BP after L-NAME administration suggests an important role of nitric oxide in the closure of L-type voltage dependent calcium channels.