Spur

Abstract: Heel spur is an osteophytic outgrowth just anterior to the tuberosity of the calcaneus, extending along its entire width or about 2 to 2.5 cm. The apex of the spur is embedded in the plantar fascia directly anterior to its origin. The condition may exist without producing symptoms, or it may become very painful, even disabling. Calcaneal spurs are of three types: 1. Those which are large in size but symptomless, because the angle of growth is such that the spur does not become a weight-bearing point and/or the inflammatory changes have been arrested. This type is usually found incidentally when the foot is x-rayed for some other purpose. 2. Those which are of large size and painful upon weight-bearing, because the pitch of the calcaneus has been altered by a depression of the longitudinal arch and, as a result, the spur may become a weight-bearing point, sometimes causing intractable

Abstract: Techniques for suppressing spurs in a receiver are described. A processor (e.g., within a wireless device) receives digital samples for a desired signal having a spur located within the bandwidth of the desired signal. A spur is an undesired signal that may be generated internally at the receiver or may come from an external interfering source. The processor filters the digital samples to suppress the spur and provides output samples having the spur suppressed. The processor may detect for the spur, e.g., by performing an FFT on the digital samples and examining the spectral response. The processor may filter the digital samples with a notch filter having an adjustable notch frequency and/or an adjustable notch bandwidth. For example, the notch frequency may be set based on the frequency of the spur, and the notch bandwidth may be set based on the amplitude of the spur.

Abstract: In mature almond (Prunus dulcis) orchards, the majority of crop is borne on spurs (short, proleptic shoots) that can live for several years and can produce from one to five fruits. Previous research has led to the hypothesis that spur longevity is related to spur light exposure, cropping and age. However, limited quantitative data are available to substantiate these hypotheses. The objective of this study was to determine spur characteristics that were most highly correlated with spur productivity and longevity in mature, bearing almond trees. Previous year spur leaf area was strongly related to spur viability and flowering; the greater the leaf area in the previous year, the higher the probability of spur survival into the next year and the higher the probability for the spur to bear one or more flowers. Previous year bearing also appeared to influence viability and return bloom, especially in spurs with low leaf area. These results suggest that spur source–sink balance is basic to the life cycle of almond spurs. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that spurs are semi-autonomous organs with respect to carbohydrate balance for much of the growing season. Finally, this information provides general thresholds for maintaining spur viability and productivity that will be useful for developing and evaluating tree training systems and orchard management practices.