background: sacral pit is a shallow or deep dimple in the lower sacral region, with a reported prevalence of 3-5% among newborns. the aim of the present study was to investigate spinal cord abnormalities in newborns with sacral pit via ultrasound examinations. methods: in this descriptive study, 3071 infants born at 34-42 weeks of gestation were studied in hospitals affiliated to islamic azad u...

Poker is a game of imperfect information where players make inferences and investments under uncertainty. Winning requires skill as well as luck, and people play with different styles. Here I examine the roles of style and skill in a simplified poker game. I propose that style arises from mental limits in estimating odds and stakes, and I define style as a strategy for making decisions in light...

OBJECTIVE Elevated serum phosphate has emerged as a major risk factor for vascular calcification. The sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter, PiT-1, was previously shown to be required for phosphate-induced osteogenic differentiation and calcification of cultured human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), but its importance in vascular calcification in vivo and the potential role of its homo...

Despite renewed interest in the nature of limitations on maximum tree height, the mechanisms governing ultimate and species-specific height limits are not yet understood, but they likely involve water transport dynamics. Tall trees experience increased risk of xylem embolism from air-seeding because tension in their water column increases with height because of path-length resistance and gravit...

Improving transport current has been the primary topic for practical application of superconducting wires and tapes. However, the porous nature of powder-in-tube (PIT) processed iron-based tapes is one of the important reasons for low critical current density (Jc) values. In this work, the superconducting core density of ex-situ Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn tapes, prepared from optimized precursors, wa...

The erosion of highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) caused by exposure to hyperthermal atomic oe p) atoms was explored. Profilometry has revealed that the overall erosion yield is linear with respect to increasing atomic oxygen exposure at a constant sample temperature of 373 K. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to image the eroded material that contains numerous nanoscale to micro...

Computer assisted analysis of medical imaging data is a very important field of research. One topic of interest in this research area is colon cancer detection. A new classification method, namely the pit pattern classification scheme, developed some years ago delivers very promising results already. Although this method is not yet used in practical medicine, it is a hot topic of research since...

One of the most challenging aspects in semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveying (SMIPCC) system design is determining optimum depth at which to change from a purely truck-based haulage conveyor-based system. We used scenario analysis determine transition between truck shovel (TS) SMIPCC Traditional pit-limit algorithms were generate final pit limit on copper deposit, was then divided into four...

Field monitoring of a stormwater treatment train has been underway between November 2013 and May 2015 at a townhouse development located at Ormiston, southeast Queensland. The research was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a 200 micron mesh pit basket in a 900 square format and an 850 mm high media filtration cartridge system for removing total suspended solids and nutrients from stor...