二维视觉搜索的计算机模拟

视觉搜索的模拟算法考虑两个交互作用的过程:覆盖过程(“看”)和视觉过程(“看见”)。搜索场景包含有靶,假目标和背景噪声;一个视力角模型按一定的搜索策略去覆盖场景。对模拟程序的输入是场景和靶的空间大小,随机分布的靶和假目标的数目。靶探测几率和识别几率均为物体在场景中对比度和物体离视力角中心的距离的函数。本模拟程序的目的是比较系统搜索和随机搜索的性能,验证关于计算最佳视窗宽度的公式,进而鉴别影响靶探测和识别能力的覆盖过程和视觉过程的参数,阐明它们之间的相互作用。     

股骨粗隆间骨折采用改良L形钢板内固定的生物力学原理与临床应用

作者自1994年始采用自行设计L形钢板内固定治疗不稳定股骨粗隆间骨折60例，平均随访25个月，X线片显示骨折愈合时间6～13周，平均8．9周，伤肢功能在3个月内基本恢复正常，无骨折延迟愈合及髋内翻现象。为论证改良L形钢板的优点，本文采用8具新鲜尸股骨沿着它的外侧、内侧骨皮质粘贴6个应变片，观察股骨近端应变和位移分布，以检验改良L形钢板固定粗隆间骨折的效果。在实验前后将股骨粗隆造成二部分或四部分骨折。利用实验结果给制成应变和位移图，并与鹅头打固定组相比较。在载荷加至1800N时比较两种内固定器械的生物力学性能。结果表明，在治疗不稳定粗隆间骨折中，L形钢板比鹅头钉更具有生物力学的优势。     

股骨远端骨折锁定钢板断裂原因分析及处理

目的探讨股骨远端骨折锁定钢板内固定失效的原因及防治措施。方法对2007年5月~2012年6月共14例应用锁定钢板固定失败的股骨远端骨折患者的临床资料进行分析,其中男9例,女5例,年龄27~68岁,平均39.2岁,骨折内固定术后1~8月(平均5.6个月)锁定钢板断裂。钢板断裂者均采用钢板螺钉取出术,5例予交锁髓内钉内固定,9例再次锁定钢板固定,均同时取自体髂骨移植植骨治疗。结果二次术后14例均获得随访,术后随访9~24月,平均14月,13例获得骨性愈合,1例二次锁定钢板固定患者于二次术后8月再次发生钢板断裂,予行钢板螺丝钉取出、交锁髓内钉固定治疗,再次手术后6月获骨性愈合。膝关节功能按Kolment评分标准:优4例,良9例,差1例。断裂原因具有多样性,5例钢板选择过短,9例存在螺钉置入密度过大,8例内侧皮质粉碎、缺失,4例因过早负重,2例因锻炼时摔伤而导致内固定失败。结论锁定钢板内固定失效的原因通常与对锁定钢板的适应证掌握不全,骨折端过度剥离、复位不良或内侧皮质存在缺损及术后功能锻炼不当有关。因此,选择合适的内固定物,注重植骨,加强术后康复指导、避免过早负重可有效预防及治疗股骨远端骨折钢板内固定失败。     

经皮锁定加压钢板固定胫骨多段骨折21例疗效分析

目的探讨经皮锁定加压钢板(locking compression plate,LCP)手术治疗胫骨多段骨折的临床疗效。方法将2010年6月~2011年12月收治的胫骨多段骨折患者,根据AO分类方法筛选出C2型骨折21例:左侧9例,右侧12例;男性14例,女性7例;年龄15~71岁,平均(44±2.1)岁。入选病例均采用微创经皮插入LCP钢板手术内固定治疗。结果随访8~15个月,术后3~4月骨折线变模糊,术后6~9月骨折处出现大量骨痂;膝关节屈曲为(147±3.2)°,伸直为(0±0.5)°;踝关节背伸(9±1.2)°,跖屈(43±2.1)°;Johner-Wruhs评分标准:优17例,良3例,可1例,差0例;优良率95.24%。结论经皮LCP钢板固定胫骨多段骨折安全、有效,是值得推广的手术方式。     

Escape efficiency of diploid and polyploid frogs: A comparison ofOdontophrynus cultripes (2n=22) andO. americanus (4n=44)

The escape efficiency of two closely related species of frogs,Odontophrynus cultripes(2n=22) and the tetraploidO. americanus (4n=44), were compared in a shuttle box and under simulated naturalistic conditions.O. americanus was generally superior toO. cultripes, and females tended to outperform males within both species. The relative inefficiency ofO. cultripes escape behavior was examined in light of the animals' having an elaborate, passive defense mechanism in the form of well-marked venom glands. Escape efficiency was highly variable in both species. Possessing twice the amount of DNA, the tetraploid behavioral variation was paradoxically less than that of the diploid, but compatible with what has been found for morphological characters in other organisms.This research was carried out at the Instituto Butantan with the support of ongoing grants from the Brazilian CNPq, FAPESP, FEDIB, and PNUD while the first author was a visiting professor in the Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, under the auspices of the Programa Multinacional de Genética, Organization of American States.     

Development of a quantitative monoclonal antibody‐based immunoassay for humicola ianuginosa on rice grains and comparison with conventional assays

A sensitive, specific, quantitative enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed that can be used to determine the extent of mycelial growth of a sporulating thermophilic fungus, Humicola lanuginosa on the surface of rice grains. The assay employs a monoclonal antibody EC6, developed in a previous study, which does not recognize spores of the fungus. Using antigen‐coated wells, a direct linear relationship was established between dilutions of extracts from freeze‐dried mycelium (0.5 to 3 μg/ml) and absorbance values but to eliminate day‐to‐day variations it was found to be necessary to run a dilution series, prepared from stock freeze‐dried mycelium, with every test sample. The ELISA method was compared with conventional quantitative methods. Estimates of total mycelial length in freeze‐dried material by ELISA were found to be in the same order of magnitude as those determined by ergosterol and a theoretical calculation. The ELISA method also compared favourably with direct linear measurements (by photomicrography) of live mycelium present in aliquots from homogenates of a 1 cm² plug taken from a plate but estimates of the latter by the dilution plate count method were much lower. In assays with inoculated rice grains, the quantitative ELISA method proved more sensitive than either the ergosterol method or direct plating of surface‐sterilized grains. The ELISA method also has the advantage of being highly specific and quick to conduct.     

Gross efficiency of muscular work during step exercise at -15°C and 21 °C

In an effort to assess the effect of ambient temperature on the gross efficiency (Eff_g) of step exercise 12 subjects performed a modified step test either at —15 °C or 21°C ascending to three different heights (corresponding to light, moderate and heavy work), for 20 min each with a frequency of 18 steps min^-1. Heart rate (HR), rectal temperature, skin temperatures and heat flux from skin were continuously measured. Oxygen consumption was measured during the last 5 min of each step height and perceptions of thermal sensation were recorded. The results indicate that, while using conventional clothing adequate in these temperatures, Eff_g is altered in a contradictory manner. At —15°C Eff_g increased with increasing work load, whereas at 21°C it decreased when the work load increased. The highest Eff_g (heavy work at —15°C and light work at 21°C) values are reflected as rather similar rectal temperatures (37.4–37.7°C) and identical mean skin temperatures (32.8 °C) as well as the same (slightly warm) thermal sensation of the legs. At — 15 °C the lowest Eff_g in light work was probably hue to the need to warm up the muscles. At 21°C, on the contrary, the activation of heat dissipation systems was probably responsible for the lowest Eff_g in heavy work.     

Ventral specification and perturbed boundary formation in the mouse midbrain in the absence of Hedgehog signaling.

Although Hedgehog (HH) signaling plays a critical role in patterning the ventral midbrain, its role in early midbrain specification is not known. We examined the midbrains of sonic hedgehog (Shh) and smoothened (Smo) mutant mice where HH signaling is respectively attenuated and eliminated. We show that some ventral (Evx1+) cell fates are specified in the Shh-/- mouse in a Ptc1- and Gli1-independent manner. HH-independent ventral midbrain induction was further confirmed by the presence of a Pax7-negative ventral midbrain territory in both Shh-/- and Smo-/- mice at and before embryonic day (E) 8.5. Midbrain signaling centers are severely disrupted in the Shh-/- mutant. Interestingly, dorsal markers are up-regulated (Wnt1, Gdf7, Pax7), down-regulated (Lfng), or otherwise altered (Zic1) in the Shh-/- midbrain. Together with the increased cell death seen specifically in Shh-/- dorsal midbrains (E8.5-E9), our results suggest specific regulation of dorsal patterning by SHH, rather than a simple deregulation due to its absence.     

Supra-maximal cycling efficiency assessed in humans by using a new protocol

This study proposed a non-invasive method to determine the gross (GE, no baseline correction), net (NE, resting metabolism as the baseline correction) and work (WE, unloaded cycling as the baseline correction) efficiencies during cycling at an intensity higher than the maximal aerobic power (MAP). Twelve male subjects performed two exercises consisting of 4 min at 50% MAP followed either by 8 min at 63% MAP or by 8 sequences of 60 s divided into 10 s at 130% MAP and 50 s at 50% MAP (i.e., 63% MAP on average). Oxygen uptake was continuously measured to calculate GE, NE and WE at 50%, 63% and 130% MAP, and the data presented as the means and standard deviations. The GE values were 18.2%, 19.1%, 22.7%, the NE values were 22.4%, 22.8%, 24.3% and the WE values were 34.2%, 31.4% and 27.2% at 50%, 63% and 130% MAP, respectively. The GE and NE increased (P<0.001) whereas the WE decreased (P<0.001) with each increment in power output. The GE was lower than the NE (P<0.001) at 50% and 63% MAP and than the WE (P<0.001) at all intensities. The NE was lower (P<0.001) than the WE at 50% and 63% MAP. These results showed that (1) efficiency index values obtained during supra-maximal exercise were consistent with previous proposals and (2) the efficiency-power output relationships were not limited to sub-maximal intensity levels but were confirmed at higher power output.     

Comparison of three models of neuropathic pain in mice using a new method to assess cold allodynia: The double plate technique

The recent identification of receptors sensitive to cold stimuli increased the significance of using mice to study cold allodynia, one of the important features of neuropathic pain. However, commonly used techniques (simple cold plate and acetone technique) may be inappropriate to study cold allodynia in mice because of problems of interpretation. We have developed a new method for assessing aversion to a cold non-noxious stimulus. It consists of calculating the time that mice spend on a non-noxious cold plate during their explorative behavior versus a thermoneutral one. We used three different models of neuropathic pain: chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI), partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSL) and chronic constriction of the saphenous nerve (CCS) with their respective sham groups and naive animals to assess the double plate in comparison to the acetone drop technique. All operated mice displayed cold allodynia with both methods. The response to acetone and the time spent on the cold plate were correlated (r = −0.93) and we also showed that the CCI mice were more sensitive to cold. Pharmacological validation of this technique showed that CCI induced cold allodynia was alleviated by gabapentin. In conclusion, the double plate technique provides a new, relevant method for assessing cold allodynia in mice. The advantages and drawbacks with the other techniques are discussed.